scissortail's recent activity
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Comment on What are your favorite break up songs? Or my lover left me songs? in ~music
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Comment on The vertical farming bubble is finally popping in ~enviro
scissortail LinkFarmer here. To me, the glaring downside of this sort of farming is that it's pretty much totally impossible to close any resource loops on it; that is, just about all of the inputs have to come...Farmer here. To me, the glaring downside of this sort of farming is that it's pretty much totally impossible to close any resource loops on it; that is, just about all of the inputs have to come from off-site, and are often produced and transported with processes that involve lots of oil (via electricity, transportation, or direct material inputs). It's extremely vulnerable to supply chain shocks (not to mention power outages) in ways that diversified, organic, soil-based farms are not.
I think we'd be better served putting the resources going into this into supporting more sustainable farming practices that promote soil health and topsoil development/retention.
As an aside: I haven't done a ton of homework on this, but my understanding is that most of these operations focus on salad greens and succulent vegetables like tomatoes. Do they grow anything of real consequence in terms of calories or protein? Wheat, beans, squash, corn, potatoes? I have doubts about their suitability for the same, and therefore their suitability for making a serious contribution towards feeding people.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
scissortail LinkAnother reason to use F-Droid instead of the Play Store. Google and their partners will always prefer to be less than candid about their data usage.Another reason to use F-Droid instead of the Play Store. Google and their partners will always prefer to be less than candid about their data usage.
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Comment on ‘Dilbert’ author Scott Adams tells White people to get away from Black people, gets dropped from US newspaper in ~arts
scissortail LinkObligatory RationalWiki page for Scott Adams. Adams has been a jackass and a crank for ages. It was only a matter of time before he got himself (justifiably) canceled.Obligatory RationalWiki page for Scott Adams.
Adams has been a jackass and a crank for ages. It was only a matter of time before he got himself (justifiably) canceled.
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Comment on The internet is already over in ~tech
scissortail Link ParentI had read the Sam Kriss piece around when it came out, but missed "I Do Not Want To Be An Internet Person" until just now. That was a tremendous read.I had read the Sam Kriss piece around when it came out, but missed "I Do Not Want To Be An Internet Person" until just now. That was a tremendous read.
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Comment on The campaign to sabotage Texas’ public schools in ~life
scissortail LinkBoy howdy was this a rough read. I've not been keeping abreast of the contemporary school board wars, and had only hints and guesses that things had gotten this ugly. I have a degree in education,...Boy howdy was this a rough read. I've not been keeping abreast of the contemporary school board wars, and had only hints and guesses that things had gotten this ugly. I have a degree in education, and even though I ultimately decided on a different life trajectory it still hurts to see public schools becoming battlegrounds for acrid, spectacle-raising politics.
The article does a great job at running through the threads of right-wing influence web. I would have guessed these to be more grassroots than they seem to be in reality--which is simultaneously a bit of a relief and a source of dread for me.
It seems like the latter-day Republican machine is just about keeping people as scared and as angry as humanly possible, and pointing that adrenaline towards their political ends. Any possible battleground for this now appears to be fair game.
I am glad to no longer be in Texas. I hope I don't sound too hyperbolic when I say I am scared for where it may be headed.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
scissortail LinkI'm in one of my phases where I listen to a small handful of songs on repeat. The Toxhards - Ængus, The Prize-Winning Hog -- a miniature rock/metal opera about (surprise!) a prize-winning hog....I'm in one of my phases where I listen to a small handful of songs on repeat.
The Toxhards - Ængus, The Prize-Winning Hog -- a miniature rock/metal opera about (surprise!) a prize-winning hog. Extremely silly but, unironically, straight flames.
Maximum the Hormone - HAWATARI NIOKU CENTI -- Probably best known as one of the ending themes for the anime Chainsaw Man, which I haven't seen/read any of. Got turned on to this tune by friends who know I love MtH. This is short, but jam-packed with the band's signature stylistic shifts (as well as some badass glitchy stuff that is newer to their sound).
Maximum the Hormone - これからの麺カタコッテリの話をしよう -- Keeping with the same group, this is one of their newer single drops that isn't connected to an anime. This one sees them playing with disco and EDM as well as the usual hardcore/j-pop/punk fare. Like riding in a racecar whose transmission kicks monstrously. Skip to 1:25 if you aren't watching the video/don't want to give the intro your time.
The Offspring - Staring at the Sun -- If you know the Offspring, you know what this is about. If not, this tune would be a good introduction to their high-octane, driving punk stylings. I'm always astonished by how easy Dexter Holland makes his vocals sound, despite them being rather on the high side.
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Comment on Does anyone actually like canned beans? in ~food
scissortail LinkJust wanted to chime in to say you are not alone! I don't find canned beans repulsive, but I do find them to be significantly inferior to dry beans in terms of taste and texture. I think properly...Just wanted to chime in to say you are not alone! I don't find canned beans repulsive, but I do find them to be significantly inferior to dry beans in terms of taste and texture. I think properly cooked dry beans have a fuller, more complex flavor and a slightly more toothsome texture, which I prefer. I haven't bought canned beans in years, despite the extra effort needed to prepare the dry ones.
I will also be growing my own beans this year, and I am extremely excited to see how they are when home-grown.
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Comment on What is your earliest memory of the internet? in ~tech
scissortail LinkI think my first memory of the Internet as a thing-that-exists was hearing the sound of my parents' dial-up modem around the time I was in second grade. I was in a typing class at my school at...I think my first memory of the Internet as a thing-that-exists was hearing the sound of my parents' dial-up modem around the time I was in second grade. I was in a typing class at my school at around the same time, and played some games on the house's old Mac (still had a floppy drive!), but I don't think I got on the internet at home or at school.
My first memories of actually using the internet likely came around the time I was in sixth grade, though I don't doubt I used it some at school before then. It was around that time that I would use library computers to play the flash games on Cartoon Network's website. I would get an email address shortly thereafter (Yahoo! first, and later Gmail), and for many years I was a prolific and dedicated email correspondent. The bulk of my Internet use for much of my childhood was email and GameFAQs.com, which supplanted my earlier addiction to Prima's Official Strategy Guides (which I would often get for games I didn't even have!).
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Comment on What's your unpopular opinion or idiosyncrasy about video games or games in general? in ~games
scissortail Link ParentI recently shared a hotel room for nearly two weeks with one of my best friends. He brought his Switch along and was playing Xenoblade 3. The fact that someone let that sound design out of the...I recently shared a hotel room for nearly two weeks with one of my best friends.
He brought his Switch along and was playing Xenoblade 3.
The fact that someone let that sound design out of the door completely floors me. It was easy to tell when a battle started because of the immense cacophony that started streaming out of the speakers. I couldn't believe my ears.
I've also noticed that it and other recent games have to use voice lines for e v e r y t h i n g. Even fiddly menu stuff like equipping an item gets you a voice clip that's trying to be quippy. I can't imagine the budget that's being pissed away on bad readings of small lines for each and every button press.
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Comment on What's your unpopular opinion or idiosyncrasy about video games or games in general? in ~games
scissortail LinkMy younger self would be appalled to see me type this, but I just don't like video games that much anymore. I played a few while unemployed during quarantine times, and good ones, too--TLOZ: The...My younger self would be appalled to see me type this, but I just don't like video games that much anymore.
I played a few while unemployed during quarantine times, and good ones, too--TLOZ: The Wind Waker, The Hex, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door--but they were the first ones I had played through in many years. Looking back, too, I can't help but feel that I should have done something else with my time.
I have a short mental list of "games I will get to if I start playing again" (Disco Elysium, Outer Wilds, Kentucky Route Zero, Return of the Obra-Dinn, among others). I seriously doubt I'll get to any of them. I'll play couch multiplayer games with my friends when invited, but don't have much drive to initiate and none to play by myself. I tried getting into a terminal-based roguelike recently and it just didn't stick, but I am almost glad for that.
It's hard for me to unpack why I feel this way. Part of it is discomfort with the industry: its supply chains, the way it drives PCs to constantly increase spec (for increasingly marginal returns), the awful labor practices of the larger firms. Part of it involves my shifting views on technology itself and my pessimism towards contemporary technology writ large. And to be totally honest, part of me feels that (for me personally) they are largely a waste of time. I don't get much thrill anymore out of well-designed gameplay (Dark Souls was my touchpoint for this), and I can scratch my aesthetic itches much better with visual artwork, film, or music. I've only had one moment playing a video game that was truly edifying, despite sinking an awful lot of hours into them.
Said moment, tangent.
I was playing *Shadow of the Colossus* and was loving it. It was spare, gorgeous, and to-the-point. The fights were compelling, and the sense of scale and awe the colossi invoked was unlike anything I had experienced in a game. I kept getting an uneasy feeling as I went, though. I can't remember which one it was, but I made it to a colossus that just did not attack you. You had to climb on the thing and fucking murder it. I did, and I just couldn't keep playing. It felt so wrong. What motivation could have possibly been worth destroying what was surely a unique, intelligent, ancient creature like that? One that didn't even defend itself, much less show any aggression? I felt sick. I never picked the game up again after that.Best game I ever played.
This all genuinely makes me sad to write. Video games were a huge part of my childhood. I got a Gameboy Color with Pokemon Red and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe in the first grade, and went straight through to about age 23 with them as a very regular part of my life. They probably had a hand in teaching me reading and problem-solving. My tightest group of friends, still very close, bonded together in no small part over a shared appreciation for video games. I feel a bit of distance from them now that I don't keep up, and that is difficult to grapple with. I can still speak the language and know many of the old references, but much of it has just passed me by for years now. I feel as if the past few years, moving away from playing video games, I have been saying goodbye to part of my past.
I don't regret doing so, but boy does it feel bittersweet.
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Comment on Oil: It was the best of fuels, it was the worst of fuels in ~enviro
scissortail LinkA podcast-length primer on oil, its production, and the crises it is inextricably woven into.A podcast-length primer on oil, its production, and the crises it is inextricably woven into.
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Oil: It was the best of fuels, it was the worst of fuels
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Comment on What are the top five software apps you benefit the most from? in ~tech
scissortail LinkMy answers are pretty staid, I suppose. ed - I usually don't need anything fancier. I'll break out nano if I don't want to futz about trying to figure out how do do something in ed. I'll break out...My answers are pretty staid, I suppose.
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ed - I usually don't need anything fancier. I'll break out nano if I don't want to futz about trying to figure out how do do something in ed. I'll break out my copy of Ed Mastery by MWL if I am in more of a futzing-about mood.
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mpv - I get distracted by music easily and so don't often listen for stretches longer than an album, so cmus doesn't get much play for me. mpv is also my go-to video player.
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uBlock Origin - necessary if I want to browse the web and remain sane.
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mupdf - lets me look at pdf files and search through them. If I really need to scribble on them I use xournal++.
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yt-dlp - my setup gets easily overwhelmed by streaming video, so this is a necessity if I want to keep up with Sumo, learn things through video, or look at the Twitter videos my friends send me.
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Comment on Where are you in a scale that goes from maximalism to minimalism including everything in between? Artistically and cognitively, are you drawn towards complexity or simplicity? in ~talk
scissortail Link ParentAll signs seem to point towards that. Do you have a recommendation for my first Lynch?All signs seem to point towards that. Do you have a recommendation for my first Lynch?
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Comment on Where are you in a scale that goes from maximalism to minimalism including everything in between? Artistically and cognitively, are you drawn towards complexity or simplicity? in ~talk
scissortail LinkOf the two, I am more of a minimalist by temperament. I prefer my tools to be simple, comprehensible, and effective. I am a big fan of the UNIX philosophy, both in computing and in some of the...Of the two, I am more of a minimalist by temperament. I prefer my tools to be simple, comprehensible, and effective. I am a big fan of the UNIX philosophy, both in computing and in some of the rest of life. That said, I am myself a generalist. I am not a small, sharp tool; I like to use them.
I am not a big fan of the contemporary industrial "minimalist" aesthetic. Hell, to me, looks an awful lot like an IKEA. I'm more of a peasant aesthetics sort of person--natural materials, handmade goods, visible imperfections and repairs. My appreciation for traditional Japanese aesthetics puts me dangerously close to weeb territory.
Cognitively I'm a big dumb caveman with delusions of grandeur. I can't multitask for shit and am easily distracted. I deliberately chose a computer that crashes if I open more than four tabs of Firefox for this reason.
I enjoy maximalism in art sometimes. Listening to complex music used to be one of my reasons for living.
To answer your other questions:
I thrive on responsibility, and that usually looks like structure.
My personal spaces are usually an unholy wreck, though I've gotten tidier as I've aged. I typically keep kitchen and workshop spaces more organized than sleeping spaces.
I wear earth tones, blues, and greens. Some have colorful patchwork. I do have a pair of mint green trousers that I'm probably skinny enough to wear now.
Edgar Wright is my guy, so it's gotta be fast cuts.
Induction.
Nietzsche. Haven't read Heidegger firsthand, but from what I gather I would prefer him to Russel.
No opinion, woefully undereducated in this department.
PTA. Of the two, Spielberg wins by default--haven't seen a Lynch yet.
As above, Hitchcock by default.
Frank Zappa.
Usually a small gathering for me, thanks.
Just enough. Moderation in all things...including moderation.
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Comment on A climate love story in ~enviro
scissortail LinkI want to say up front that I take Tom Murphy with a grain of salt. His Hockey Sticks post contains some irresponsible extrapolation from limited data, and that makes me a bit leery of his work....I want to say up front that I take Tom Murphy with a grain of salt. His Hockey Sticks post contains some irresponsible extrapolation from limited data, and that makes me a bit leery of his work.
In broad strokes, though, I can't find much to quibble about in this post. He could have cited things more directly rather than linking to his more topic-specific, in-depth posts. When it comes to the general shape of his blog's narrative, though, I think he's bang-on.
Essay spoilers, I encourage reading it first.
From the essay:
If humans are to be successful on this planet for the long term (i.e., tens of thousands of years), we need a healthy ecosystem and we need to live off natural renewable flows rather than continue to spend our finite non-renewable inheritance.
This seems absolutely critical to me. Much of the discourse of what is to be done regarding the climate crisis gets this when it comes to energy sources, but fails to reckon with non-renewable materials. We have depleted much of the easily available stores of the minerals that are required to build the guts of our renewable energy sources. As difficult-to-access stores become our only options, the energy requirement for extraction increases. This is to say nothing of the human exploitation that would likely be a prerequisite for the same: energy storage still relies heavily on conflict minerals, the extraction of which often involves child labor, slavery, and awful working conditions.
With that in mind, I am of the opinion that the best use for current energy systems is to establish alternative systems that need no non-renewable energy sources (and as little non-renewable materials as possible) to function. As someone who recently pivoted to agriculture, applying this to farming is in the forefront of my thoughts.
I think much of my life will be spent solving this question: How can we use present systems to establish productive farms which require no fossil fuels, metals, or industrial products for their maintenance?
Some elaboration on the above. Rambly.
Those who have looked into alternative agriculture may know that Permaculture seeks to address similar theoretical problems. I have heard Mollison and others criticized for the substantial amount of energy/labor needed to implement their proposed designs. I think this is no accident on Mollison's part; small landscapes that are highly productive, useful to humans, and that approximate a closed resource loop are very hard to find in nature.
(The word small is doing a lot of heavy lifting here--obviously hunter-gatherers existed in just such systems, except that they were spread out over a great deal of space. I am interested in creating these systems in ten acres or less.)
It seems to me, then, that implementing such designs requires a serious input of energy. Pre-industrial societies achieved such inputs by massing man- and animal-power. While we are in this extravagant energy glut, though, it seems imperative that we use that energy to create systems which make a pleasant life without it possible. For farming in most areas, this likely involves a good deal of terraforming, both to create earthworks and to remove/transform obstacles to effective farming/grazing (steep grades, large rock deposits, extremely compacted soils, etc.). It also means the more efficient establishment of fencing, structures, ponds, and the like.
I have much research and practical work left to do, but a rough flow of how such a farm's life could play out might look like this (assuming one starts with marginal-to-barely-acceptable land):
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Comprehensive survey and observation.
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Site design.
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Site establishment. Non-renewable inputs are concentrated here. This would involve a great deal of tree planting in addition to the aforementioned terraforming and structure-building.
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Early stages of productivity: intensive market gardening (vegetables), honey production, egg/broiler production, goat dairying and/or pig pasturing. This stage likely still involves substantial off-farm inputs as soil is built and on-farm feed systems are established for livestock.
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As soil quality increases and economics stabilize, other systems can be established. Land cleared by pigs can be sown for sheep or other grazing livestock. Root vegetable staples or Fukuoka-style grain plots can be established. Fish or bivalves can be stocked in now-mature pond systems. Spare time and resources can be spent creating and evaluating experimental systems.
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Mature stage of productivity: more intensive fruits and vegetables are scaled back in favor of yields from mature tree crops. Experimental systems are pared down to what works reliably, and with minimal labor. Valuable timber can be worked or sold for extra income.
I think frontloading the process in terms of both design and energy inputs will allow for maintenance using non-industrial technologies by stage 6. In my lifetime, that means not only getting good with hand tools (and the ability to make them from salvage), but also developing the skills to make tools from wood, rocks, bamboo, bone, clay, rope, etc. Those skills may not be needed for many decades, but designing the site in such a way that they are the only technological necessity means that such a farm could be productive and well-maintained seven generations hence.
Similar questions must be asked in all walks of life, in my opinion. If we want to take the possibility of our great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren having happy lives on this planet, we need to be the custodians of the transition between energy/material stocks and energy/material flows.
I had never really stopped to consider this point made in the essay:
I think of it this way: if every jackass on the planet has access to cheap and abundant energy, what do you think they’ll do with it? Will they use it to restore ecosystems, or hack more of it down for their own short-term gain?
It may be the cynic in me talking, but I have a hard time believing that a miracle energy solution will lead to anything other than the extraction of every last drop of usable material for increasingly useless bullshit. Unless the materials crisis is somehow solved--and I have yet to read anything outside of the realm of fantasy that would indicate that a solution is even possible--I can't see fusion or the like as being all that useful (in the long term).
I thought Murphy's parting principles were on point; if you didn't read the essay itself, at least take these away from it:
- Humans are a part of nature, not apart from nature.
- Non-renewable materials cannot be harvested indefinitely on a finite planet.
- The ability of Earth’s ecosystems to assimilate pollution without consequences is finite.
- Energy throughput is essential to all human activities, including the economy.
- Technology is a tool for deploying, not creating energy.
- Fossil fuel combustion is the primary cause of ongoing global climate change.
- Exponential growth, whether of physical or economic form, must eventually cease.
- Today’s choices can simultaneously create problems for and deprive resources from future generations.
- Human behavior is consciously and unconsciously shaped by mental models of culture that, while mutable, impose barriers to change.
- Apparent success for a few generations during a massive draw-down of finite resources says little about chances for long-term success.
Technology is not going to save us, folks, and neither governments nor businesses are going to do a damn thing about it if we don't make them. We would do better to change how we live, and not give them a say in it.
(Whew, ended up writing way more than I thought. I may clean this up and put it on my blog at some point.)
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Comment on What's a video game that you really want to exist? in ~games
scissortail Link ParentThis doesn't fulfill your wish, but what you wrote reminded me of Ultima IV. You do still have to kill things, but the point of the game is more "attaining noble virtue" rather than "good...This doesn't fulfill your wish, but what you wrote reminded me of Ultima IV. You do still have to kill things, but the point of the game is more "attaining noble virtue" rather than "good vanquishes evil."
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Comment on What are some good ultra-low-spec computer games? in ~games
scissortail LinkUltra low spec, you say? I've enjoyed what little I've played of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup and hear Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is damn good. If you're a fiend for complexity there's always Dwarf...Ultra low spec, you say?
I've enjoyed what little I've played of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup and hear Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is damn good.
If you're a fiend for complexity there's always Dwarf Fortress.
And for something a bit less ASCII, I really enjoyed playing VVVVVV.
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Comment on They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul (1990) in ~music
scissortail Link Parentrouge_cricket has got you covered with some solid recommendations. I'll second Lincoln and Flood, particularly the former--it's one of my very favorite albums, one of the most perfect I can think...rouge_cricket has got you covered with some solid recommendations. I'll second Lincoln and Flood, particularly the former--it's one of my very favorite albums, one of the most perfect I can think of. I am also very fond of their self-titled debut, and Apollo 18 is pretty damn good too. I think they've lost a bit of their touch with regards to making unbelievable albums, but even their less-impressive efforts have songs on them that are impeccably crafted. One of my favorite latter-day TMBG tunes is "Can't Keep Johnny Down".
The one I go back to is Widower, by the DIllinger Escape Plan.