roo1ster's recent activity
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Comment on What are your favorite special kitchen ingredients? in ~food
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Comment on Study: essay graders rarely detect AI, give higher grades in ~tech
roo1ster LinkUniversities have ?gotten away with? using prof(or TA):student ratios that make it all but impossible for the teacher/grader to do anything more than lightly skim essays looking for key words and...Universities have ?gotten away with? using prof(or TA):student ratios that make it all but impossible for the teacher/grader to do anything more than lightly skim essays looking for key words and basic reasoning.
My hot take: "AI exposes educational bankruptcy of current educational system"
*this really only applied to non-STEM undergrad classes... STEM classes having the benefit of objectively right/wrong answers to questions (and 0 essays).
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Comment on What are your Christmas movies? in ~movies
roo1ster LinkKlaus 2019 (streaming on netflix) trailer I'm a 52 yo male who grew up under stereotypical masculine expectations and it makes me cry. every. time. So. Good.Klaus 2019 (streaming on netflix) trailer
I'm a 52 yo male who grew up under stereotypical masculine expectations and it makes me cry. every. time.
So. Good.
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Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life
roo1ster Link ParentStool sampling would be super cool... https://youtu.be/3U_LhHOB3zs?t=17Stool sampling would be super cool...
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Comment on How do you shave your nose and ears? in ~life.men
roo1ster LinkI've been using one of these Panasonic er-gn30's for ~15 years, and have gone through most every other option I've seen posted here on my way to it. Its safe. Its effective. Its fast. Its easy to...I've been using one of these Panasonic er-gn30's for ~15 years, and have gone through most every other option I've seen posted here on my way to it. Its safe. Its effective. Its fast. Its easy to clean.
The er-gn30 has an electric motor powered spinner with 2 blades that rotate very quickly just inside the slotted metal dome (see link). The spinner is very very low mass, and thus very very low momentum, even for how fast those blades are moving. I most frequently use it kind of mindlessly while watching videos in my home office. Possibly TMI but there are some nooks/crannies in my snozz where hairs are kind of a pain to get at. My go to move is to forcefully jam that trimmer up in those nooks/crannies and rotate violently (b/c pushing harder makes things work better DUH). In weekly use over 15 years, I've yet to ever encounter any sort of pinch/pull/pain. I honestly don't think its possible to hurt yourself with it. Note: if you're worried you might stab yourself in the eye with it, you are not a member of my intended audience for this review...
It works great with ear /ear lobe hair too, though it can get a bit loud while I'm digging deep in the inner ear.
It's also nice for trimming the bit of my mustache that's too close to my nose for my regular mustache clippers to deal with reasonably.
I have managed to cut myself with one of these manual trimmers, but I was really digging at a stupid nose hair that was taunting me and laughing in my face...
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Comment on The history of slipping on banana peels | Pretty Good, episode 14 in ~humanities.history
roo1ster LinkNow if we can just get an eye witness account of someone actually drowning in quicksand in real life, my childhood will be vindicated... (pretty sure mythbusters tackled the quicksand conundrum...Now if we can just get an eye witness account of someone actually drowning in quicksand in real life, my childhood will be vindicated...
(pretty sure mythbusters tackled the quicksand conundrum and found it highly unlikely)
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Comment on Iowa Police chief caught selling machine guns says "every cop" is guilty in ~society
roo1ster Link ParentAfter reading that, it strikes me that economics may be highly resistant from trickle down, but corruption has a strong affinity for it.After reading that, it strikes me that economics may be highly resistant from trickle down, but corruption has a strong affinity for it.
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Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life
roo1ster LinkScrolled all the way through the comments. I'm shocked to be the first suggest a bidet toilet seat. The one I've got includes a heated seat (see other commenters suggesting heated toilet seats)...Scrolled all the way through the comments. I'm shocked to be the first suggest a bidet toilet seat. The one I've got includes a heated seat (see other commenters suggesting heated toilet seats) and heated water. If you've never used one I really can't convey how much better life is with one. And with the price of toilet paper these days it eventually pays for itself...
edit - took ~15 minutes to install. It connects between your toilet's water source and the tank, bolts on with the same holes your current toilet seat uses. Finding an outlet might be an issue for some bathrooms, but honestly I'd run an extension cord across the floor, out the door, and down the hall if that's what it took. It's really that good.
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Comment on What’s your “I didn’t know I needed that” item? in ~life
roo1ster Link Parentbest thing I've ever jazzed up my group campsite with was a set of lighted bocce balls. Endless fun for all skill levels, states of reality and play surfaces (ok, maybe not asphalt/concrete, but...best thing I've ever jazzed up my group campsite with was a set of lighted bocce balls. Endless fun for all skill levels, states of reality and play surfaces (ok, maybe not asphalt/concrete, but the ground doesn't need to be all that even or particularly level, trees and shrubs just make it more interesting)
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Comment on How to judge relative dangers of chemicals for someone too busy (or lazy) to keep up with the science? in ~health
roo1ster LinkNot exactly on topic - but the argument that fully won me over on gmo crops was "The US cattle industry has served billions of gmo crop meals to cows for 10s of generations with 0 deleterious effects"Not exactly on topic - but the argument that fully won me over on gmo crops was "The US cattle industry has served billions of gmo crop meals to cows for 10s of generations with 0 deleterious effects"
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Comment on Elevator pitch your favourite book! in ~books
roo1ster Link ParentI'm somewhere in book 2 - thanks for the reminder that I really need to get back on that series!I'm somewhere in book 2 - thanks for the reminder that I really need to get back on that series!
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Comment on Elevator pitch your favourite book! in ~books
roo1ster LinkA heavily armed security bot (mostly robotic, some unspecified amount of human brain, other unspecified bits of organic material) manages to hack its governor module and has snarky escapades in...A heavily armed security bot (mostly robotic, some unspecified amount of human brain, other unspecified bits of organic material) manages to hack its governor module and has snarky escapades in space, often fighting other security bots (governors intact) and megacorporations. The fight sequences are absolutely gripping and the protagonist is incredibly human for all its lack of humanity...
“There needs to be an error code that means “I received your request but decided to ignore you.“"
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells -
Comment on Elevator pitch your favourite book! in ~books
roo1ster Link ParentI read a short sci-fi story from the ?70s? where society in order to relieve population pressure has half the population in cold storage/stasis every other day, and the other half in cold...I read a short sci-fi story from the ?70s? where society in order to relieve population pressure has half the population in cold storage/stasis every other day, and the other half in cold storage/stasis every other other day (there's gotta be an easier way to say that).
The protagonist becomes infatuated with a roommate who's in cold storage on days he isn't (just by looking at her through the glass on her storage container).
He requests to change days so he can actually meet her. After several months/years (it's been awhile since I read it), his move request is finally approved, but it means someone from the other day has to change as well.
Guess who he swaps with...
edit to add: I always thought there was a lot more that could be done with the concept - I like where your book is heading with it.
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Comment on US President Joe Biden pardons son in ~society
roo1ster Link ParentMostly posting this comment hoping someone will rapidly knock the tin foil hat off my head -- does anyone else find the timing of the Israel Hamas cease fire "interesting"?Mostly posting this comment hoping someone will rapidly knock the tin foil hat off my head -- does anyone else find the timing of the Israel Hamas cease fire "interesting"?
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Comment on What chemicals/substances do you keep at home? And what do you do with them? in ~life.home_improvement
roo1ster Link ParentThe moss on the lawn isn't even on my radar. The moss on the driveway and the roof though... KILL IT WITH FIRE (or bleach) edit: wife doesn't let me kill plants with fire after I partially burned...The moss on the lawn isn't even on my radar. The moss on the driveway and the roof though... KILL IT WITH FIRE (or bleach)
edit: wife doesn't let me kill plants with fire after I partially burned down the privacy fence... which is a shame. :( So. Very. Satisfying.
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Comment on Is the Cybertruck really that bad? in ~transport
roo1ster Link ParentI like the looks of the model S quite a bit. I'm meh on the 3. The one with the gull wing doors is somewhere between cool and meh depending on my mood. I enjoy appreciating large trucks a lot, the...I like the looks of the model S quite a bit. I'm meh on the 3. The one with the gull wing doors is somewhere between cool and meh depending on my mood.
I enjoy appreciating large trucks a lot, the bigger the tires the better. But it's the sort of thing where if I ever owned one, it'd be perma parked in the 3rd spot in the garage (that I don't have) and you'd just find me from time to time sitting in a lawn chair in front of it appreciating the artistry. Ok, maybe I'd have 2 - 1 dripping chrome and the other murdered out. Ok, maybe 3, the 3rd being a resto-mod of an International Travelette. 0 interest in driving any of the above on a paved road. Ever.
I'm a huge fan of sci-fi and the cybertruck really should have managed to tick several boxes for me... It's got that low budget 70s scifi feel to it that was pure magic to me as a child in the 70s. Seems like you could park it next to the Venus Death Probe the 6 million dollar man fought in episodes 71 and 72 and they would complement each other perfectly. Maybe those episodes scarred me as a child?
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Comment on Is the Cybertruck really that bad? in ~transport
roo1ster LinkGiven my history and proclivities, I really should love everything about the aesthetics of the cybertruck. I don't. I'm assuming my distaste for Elon is shading my opinion of the truck (but I am...Given my history and proclivities, I really should love everything about the aesthetics of the cybertruck. I don't. I'm assuming my distaste for Elon is shading my opinion of the truck (but I am at least able to recognize/admit it).
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Comment on What chemicals/substances do you keep at home? And what do you do with them? in ~life.home_improvement
roo1ster LinkI've got a kilogram of powdered bleach I bought off amazon. The plan was to mix up a solution and use a hose nozzle sprayer to lay waste to the moss on my property. The issue was that the product...I've got a kilogram of powdered bleach I bought off amazon. The plan was to mix up a solution and use a hose nozzle sprayer to lay waste to the moss on my property. The issue was that the product arrived with no material safety data so I have no idea how to determine the strength of any resulting solution.
I'm posting this hoping someone out there might weigh in with ideas on how to get from step 2. ??? to step 3. PROFIT...
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Comment on Are we all capable of being slaveowners or nazis? in ~humanities
roo1ster LinkI don't feel qualified to speak towards slaveowners or nazi's but I think what I might be qualified to speak on is applicable. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. The Venn diagram of...I don't feel qualified to speak towards slaveowners or nazi's but I think what I might be qualified to speak on is applicable. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.
The Venn diagram of television programming that I like and television programming that my wife likes overlaps heavily on true crime, and not much else. We like to spend time together watching tv, so we end up watching A LOT more true crime than either of us would ever watch individually.
The shows we tend to enjoy the most delve into the life and mind of the perpetrator. I honestly cannot think of a single show where it isn't at least heavily implied that the perpetrator experienced significant traumatic abuse early in life. Some relatively rare shows include significant information about the person or persons who abused the perpetrator and invariably they too experienced significant mental trauma, often as not early in life.
All of which emboldens me to posit that trauma begets trauma begets trauma...
I've seen many discussions around the economic atrocities post WW1 directly leading to WW2.
I've seen many discussions around the utter brutality of trench and chemical warfare in WW1.
I've not seen many discussions about how, and how badly the men who were 'lucky' enough to survive WW1 came home and passed their trauma(s) on to their wives, to their children and to other members of their communities.
All of which is to say, with rare exceptions, I believe we're all born innocent blank canvasses. Given sufficient trauma (the earlier the better) and opportunity, we are all capable of pretty much anything.
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Comment on How do you learn to recognize your own emotions? in ~health.mental
roo1ster LinkSilver lining if your experience is similar to mine (I grew up with an emotionally abusive older sibling and emotionally blind parents who were unable to get involved until/unless physical...Silver lining if your experience is similar to mine (I grew up with an emotionally abusive older sibling and emotionally blind parents who were unable to get involved until/unless physical violence was involved).
I've recently discovered that one of my survival skills was a heightened ability to detect emotions in others. I had 2 spect brain scans last week. The part of my brain associated with detecting emotion was anomalously lit up on the resulting image on both the active scan and the passive scan.
All of which is to say, I too struggle with identifying my own emotions (I had to dampen them in order to fully focus on staying off my sibling's radar). BUT. I also already have overdeveloped neural networks in place to identify emotions, so my work will be in learning to direct all that hardware at myself.
I recently got down a rabbit hole on youtube, and it turns out that in conjunction with MSG, certain ribonucleotides greatly increase umami. In my (very minimal) research, bonito flakes and dried shiitake mushrooms stood out as being particularly rich sources of both msg and ribonucleotides.
All of which is to say, my 2 new special kitchen ingredients are