smithsonian's recent activity
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Comment on Anyone want to share their thoughts on the latest Dresden Files novel, Twelve Months? in ~books
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Comment on I recently finished the Cradle series by Will Wight and have post series depression. What shall I read next? in ~books
smithsonian (edited )LinkI went through all of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books in September, and then all of the Cradle books in November, so I can definitely relate trying to find something to fill that emptiness. (And,...I went through all of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books in September, and then all of the Cradle books in November, so I can definitely relate trying to find something to fill that emptiness. (And, if you haven't already, be sure to read the short story collection book Threshold, which helped me feel a bit more sense of closure.)
I've definitely bookmarked this thread for all of the great suggestions, but the only one I haven't seen recommended, yet, is The Dresden Files.
The progression is slower than Cradle or even Carl, and it's a bit slower to really get going—especially regarding the larger, overarching storyline—but it's definitely worth hanging in there. The first book was his very first novel, so the writing gets more polished as the series progresses, but if you struggle with getting into it too much, then the first hardcover book in the series (Book #7, Dead Beat) was also intended to be a soft entry point for new readers, so you can jump in there without feeling completely lost.
James Marsden also does an excellent job narrating the audiobooks, if you prefer that medium, as well.
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Comment on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy S1E1 - "Kids These Days" in ~tv
smithsonian (edited )LinkI'm sure I'll be among the minority, here, but since I can't be downvoted, I'll be honest: I am really enjoying the show (and the show's potential), so far. Are there things I could complain...I'm sure I'll be among the minority, here, but since I can't be downvoted, I'll be honest: I am really enjoying the show (and the show's potential), so far.
Are there things I could complain about?
Absolutely. But I'm not going to because it's too easy to nitpick and complain about anything new and I'd rather take my cue from O.G. Star Trek and be optimistic and hopeful about the future.
I always thought DISCO really squandered the potential of traveling to the future by not focusing on how all of the different planets and civilizations have changed and adapted after The Burn. There were easily multiple seasons worth of material to explore in that setting! You'd keep a sense of familiarity while letting everything still feel new, and have the crew going around to help out and provide that sense of hope and inspiration, again. But, instead, the show just went back to saving the universe from ever-greater threats and always failed to stick the landing at the end of the season.
But Academy seems to be doing exactly what I hoped for, in that regard, which makes me really excited.
The cadets are all young and inexperienced, so they have room to justifiably make impulsive mistakes (which was harder to excuse for the crew of Discovery). Even most of the teachers—and the Academy, itself—are new so there's plenty of room for interesting stories stemming from that as they all try to figure out how to make Starfleet Academy work in this radically different political climate.
By the end of the second episode, I felt like they already started to show that the various characters aren't going to be one-dimensional and capable of growth, which is going to be vital for the show (I'm more than willing to accept mistakes and immaturity from young characters, but not if they don't learn and grow from those mistakes).
As long as they don't focus on Caleb too much (the way DISCO did with Burnham), I think the show is starting off in a great position. His character is actually the one I'm the least interested in, but I'm hopeful for his character after the little growth moments shown in Episode 2.
So I think Academy is off to a really promising start—and probably the best series premier of any series except Strange New World.
And, honestly, I'm just incredibly grateful it's not another TOS-era show.
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Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
smithsonian Link ParentIf you want to go the automation route, there's a Docker container for TubeSync, which lets you subscribe to channels/playlists and it will automatically download the videos (via yt-dlp). Then you...If you want to go the automation route, there's a Docker container for TubeSync, which lets you subscribe to channels/playlists and it will automatically download the videos (via yt-dlp). Then you can combine it with something like Plex to have a personally curated library without the manipulative algorithm.
I use it for keeping quality stuff like PixlRiff's Minecraft Survival Guide series available for my son without opening him up to all of the garbage Minecraft videos with clickbait titles/thumbnails YouTube will inevitably suggest.
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Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
smithsonian LinkMy son is 7, now, and YouTube has been banned in our house from an early age. He knows that there is good stuff on YouTube, but the way I've tried to explain it to him is that YouTube, the...My son is 7, now, and YouTube has been banned in our house from an early age.
He knows that there is good stuff on YouTube, but the way I've tried to explain it to him is that YouTube, the platform, only wants to keep him watching. It tries really hard to get him sucked in and it doesn't care how. It's like force-feeding candy but for your brain: at first, it tastes great! But if that's all you ever eat, you'll get REALLY sick. And YouTube only wants you to keep watching more YouTube.
A lot of content on YouTube is only stimulation at a base level. Shows should be entertaining, yes, but they should also teach us things about the world. That doesn't necessarily mean explicitly educational content, either, but there should be a deeper moral message.
One litmus test I use with my son is: are these characters good role models? Are they kind to other people? It's okay if the characters don't always make the best choices as long as they learn and grow from those mistakes. If you start framing these questions for your son early, it can build some really good media consumption habits for the future.
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Comment on Meet Pebble Index 01 - External memory for your brain in ~tech
smithsonian Link ParentBecause there is a demographic of people who loathe the idea of adding yet another device that needs to be recharged every[-other] day to their lives. Personally, I wouldn't give a 2-day battery,...I have no idea how they managed to come to the conclusion that a simple charging cable wasn't the sensible choice.
Because there is a demographic of people who loathe the idea of adding yet another device that needs to be recharged every[-other] day to their lives.
Personally, I wouldn't give a 2-day battery, rechargeable version of this a second of consideration, even if it was still $75. The fact that this version wouldn't need to be recharged actually makes it somewhat appealing to me.
Given you found an existing similar product with the features you desire shows that there is already a product that fills that niche, so I think it's great that they're trying something different. Not every product needs to have mass appeal, either.
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Comment on New ‘Star Trek’ movie in works at Paramount from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) in ~movies
smithsonian LinkAlright, as long as it isn't another TOS-era prequel, I'm in.Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but sources say Goldstein and Daley’s film is a completely new take on the Star Trek universe and not connected to any previous or current television series, movie or prior movie development projects.
Alright, as long as it isn't another TOS-era prequel, I'm in.
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Comment on Fallout | Season two official trailer in ~tv
smithsonian LinkI've been really hoping that they would leave the ending of Fallout: New Vegas ambiguous, but seeing Mr. House on that screen makes me worry that they are picking an ending. Still, I'm looking...I've been really hoping that they would leave the ending of Fallout: New Vegas ambiguous, but seeing Mr. House on that screen makes me worry that they are picking an ending.
Still, I'm looking forward to Season 2. I know a lot of people didn't like how they portrayed the Brotherhood of Steel in the first season, but the show absolutely nails the feel of the Fallout universe so well that I can overlook my own minor nitpicks about the show.
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
smithsonian LinkI don't know if it was really hate reading, but I read the first book in the Expeditionary Force series a try and there were moments where the clunky writing and grammar and weird mismatched...I don't know if it was really hate reading, but I read the first book in the Expeditionary Force series a try and there were moments where the clunky writing and grammar and weird mismatched sentences sure felt like hate reading.
So many times I'd have to reread the same sentence over because I got to the end and thought I skipped a line and read the first half of one sentence and the last half of a different one... only to confirm that, nope, that's actually how it was written. And it happens a lot, too.
There was a period where I just started highlighting them of my Kindle because I knew I needed to show them to others.
Example sentences (copy-and-pasted, not transcribed)
Three suits got busted in training, we had six spares aboard the Flower, and spare parts, what we didn’t have were many humans over six feet tall.
People wearing the suits were sore enough without crashing into things, even at the maximum limits of adjustment, the suits were too big.
Selection of weapon; the rifle or the rocket/ grenade launcher, was controlled by the operator’s thumb.
Everyone had studied the mockup Skippy had fabricated, the module was a long, skinny box about four feet long, and six inches on each side, Skippy said it folded out and expanded to make an 'X' ten feet across.
I don't even know the correct way to describe these because they're not really run-on sentences—more like regularly using commas in place of semicolons, em-dashes, and periods—but these kinds of sentences appear fairly frequently throughout the book.
I pushed myself through the first book and started reading the second one, but when I realized things weren't any better, I lost the will to keep pushing through; it just kept distracting me and pulling me out of the actual story too much.
I was told that the person who does the audiobooks made those clunky lines sound natural, but I'm not a big audiobook person and, truthfully, the grammar wasn't the only thing holding me back from really enjoying it.
I looked into it, later, and saw that he self-published the first three books, so that would explain the lack of editing.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
smithsonian (edited )LinkI got caught up on Dungeon Crawler Carl and really enjoyed it. Looks like the next book is coming out in May of 2026, so I'll have some time to kill. I give the Expeditionary Force series a try. I...I got caught up on Dungeon Crawler Carl and really enjoyed it. Looks like the next book is coming out in May of 2026, so I'll have some time to kill.
I give the Expeditionary Force series a try. I powered through the first book and made it a to ways into the second before throwing in the towel. The writing is just way too clunky with too much horrible grammar.
Example head-scratcher sentences
"Three suits got busted in training, we had six spares aboard the Flower, and spare parts, what we didn’t have were many humans over six feet tall."
"People wearing the suits were sore enough without crashing into things, even at the maximum limits of adjustment, the suits were too big."
"Selection of weapon; the rifle or the rocket/ grenade launcher, was controlled by the operator’s thumb."
"Everyone had studied the mockup Skippy had fabricated, the module was a long, skinny box about four feet long, and six inches on each side, Skippy said it folded out and expanded to make an 'X' ten feet across."
He self-published the first three books so I assume it gets better when he gets an actual editor, but already the "humor" with Skippy was getting repetitive.
I read a few first chapters from other books and series I was considering but none of them really reached out and grabbed me until We Are Legion (We Are Bob). It's about a guy who signs up to get his head frozen after he dies and wakes up in the future... but he's been digitized and enlisted to help colonize the stars as a self-replicating type of AI. Some of the details of the science are conveniently hand-waved, but I'm really enjoying it, nonetheless.
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Comment on What's a quantum computer? in ~tech
smithsonian Link ParentI should have omitted the (1s and 0s) part of my description, as I believe it led you to misunderstand what I said. Moving from two dimensions to three dimensions does not describe a ternary system.I should have omitted the
(1s and 0s)part of my description, as I believe it led you to misunderstand what I said. Moving from two dimensions to three dimensions does not describe a ternary system. -
Comment on What's a quantum computer? in ~tech
smithsonian LinkI think a good ELI5 answer is to think of it like traditional computers work by doing math in two dimensions (1s and 0s), while quantum computers do math in three dimensions. Certain types of math...I think a good ELI5 answer is to think of it like traditional computers work by doing math in two dimensions (1s and 0s), while quantum computers do math in three dimensions.
Certain types of math problems are really hard to do when you're only in two dimensions but they're actually really easy to do if you look at them in three dimensions.
But it's also a lot of work just to do math in three dimensions because there are a lot more outside factors involved. Most current QC require a lot of error correction (or running the same problems multiple times to verify consistent results) and also need to run at extremely cold temperatures.
And, going back to the original metaphor, it's unlikely we'll ever use QC for common types of computing because even though QC algorithms are really good at certain types of math problems, they are much less efficient at a lot of really simple ones.
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Comment on YouTube has a new video player in ~tech
smithsonian Link ParentThey've been rolling out the new Proof of Origin Token requirement for a while, now, and it appears to be applying to more videos by default. It's been a pain because I've used TubeSync—which uses...I read something about newer and exciting anti-download protections
They've been rolling out the new Proof of Origin Token requirement for a while, now, and it appears to be applying to more videos by default.
It's been a pain because I've used TubeSync—which uses
yt-dlpunderneath—to automatically download videos from certain channels to my Plex library (so my son can still watch some of the quality content without having the algorithm's constant "Here's something else you'll like!" enticement) because YouTube was essentially banned from our home several years ago, and it hasn't been able to properly download anything for several weeks.I spent some time trying to figure it out, but I think part of the problem is the
yt-dlpversion included in the Docker image needs to be updated but attempting to update the package from within the image somehow breaks the TubeSync processes from starting up correctly. I just need to get around to spending more time trying to figure it out. -
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
smithsonian LinkI'm on Book 6 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which I'm told is a LitRPG. It's my first foray into this genre, but the person who recommended it to me said it's the only LitRPG book he's...I'm on Book 6 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which I'm told is a LitRPG. It's my first foray into this genre, but the person who recommended it to me said it's the only LitRPG book he's actually enjoyed. I can see why, as the way this book incorporates the RPG and gameplay mechanics into the story feels more natural than I would imagine it normally would be for the genre.
In short, Earth is transformed by an alien corporation into a massive, multi-level dungeon that's also part intergalactic reality show. The few surviving humans are forced into participating with the promise of saving the planet if anyone completes the 18th floor. A super-advanced AI acts as the DM, with technology so advanced it's basically magic turning participants into RPG players with leveling, skills, and even magic. Carl was outside wearing nothing but his boxers while trying to retrieve his ex-girlfriend's cat from a tree when it happened, and that's all he was able to take with him into the dungeon.
So far, the worst book was the second book, but I think a lot of that was because it had to do a lot of set up, but the quest storyline of the book also felt the weakest. The story really starts picking up after that, though.
As I've progressed, I've found the series is reminding me of The Dresden Files in a lot of subtle ways (though I'm sure they are things that are not entirely unique to Dresden, either)—in a good way, in my opinion.
The series is supposedly only going to have 10 books and the first 7 have already been released, so I'm really curious to see how the series wraps up in the next four books!
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Comment on America's dumbest crop: grass in ~enviro
smithsonian Link ParentI'm not sure why you're emphasizing artificial fertilizers because the source doesn't matter. Whether it's urea from synthetic sources or organic manure, excess nitrogen in water sources leads to...The runoff from artificial fertilizers poisons water sources.
I'm not sure why you're emphasizing artificial fertilizers because the source doesn't matter. Whether it's urea from synthetic sources or organic manure, excess nitrogen in water sources leads to algae overgrowth that kills.
Coming from the Midwest in the heart of dairy country, I've seen "natural" fertilizers (i.e., manure) be the source of many ecological aquatic crises after excessive runoffs hitting waterways.
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Comment on What does ChatGPT know about you? in ~tech
smithsonian Link ParentWhen I asked it for the "full detailed memory list" after its first response, it definitely included details from the chats themselves and not just info from the title summaries.When I asked it for the "full detailed memory list" after its first response, it definitely included details from the chats themselves and not just info from the title summaries.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
smithsonian LinkI started the Dungeon Crawler Carl series at the recommendation of a friend and, as an avid gamer, have been enjoying it. But, before starting the second book, I was distracted by a book called...I started the Dungeon Crawler Carl series at the recommendation of a friend and, as an avid gamer, have been enjoying it.
But, before starting the second book, I was distracted by a book called "How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying" (by Django Wexler) that had a one-line blurb describing it as "Groundhog Day meets Guardians of the Galaxy," which piqued my interest. In short, an Earth girl in her 20s wakes up in a fantasy world and a wizard informs her she is prophesied to defeat the Dark Lord and save the kingdom but, whenever she dies, she wakes up back at that point with everything starting over again. After thousands of years over thousands of lives (some of which are very short) and never succeeding at saving the kingdom or stopping the Dark Lord, she decides that she's had enough of the prophecy: now she's going to become the Dark Lord.
It's probably been at least a few years since I've gone through a full book this quickly, but I only have a chapter left after only about two days. The Groundhog's Day/time loop part become far less relevant after the first quarter of the book; I'm not really sure why they compared it to Guardians of the Galaxy (maybe the humor? Or the underdog protagonist?) but I'm enjoying it, either way.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
smithsonian LinkPepper is super happy to be able to be in the backyard without a leash and to be able to play after getting the all-clear from the vet to start easing the exercise restrictions! We've been and to...Pepper is super happy to be able to be in the backyard without a leash and to be able to play after getting the all-clear from the vet to start easing the exercise restrictions!
We've been and to play some short games of "doggy soccer" (basically we kick around some old, partially flat soccer/volley balls and she chases them and tries to get all of them in her mouth at the same time), which she's been really happy about, as well. We've gone on some short walks, but it's been a struggle for her with squirrel activity in full fall swing and being five months out of practice/shape. (She was a really poor walker when we got her in January, but at least she hasn't seemed to have regressed completely.)
Bonus gif of her being a goof in the backyard with her ball: https://envs.sh/LWR.gif
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
smithsonian LinkPepper is officially heartworm-free! (She is from the South and was infected before she was rescued.) Today we can officially start to ease her exercise restrictions, which is super exciting! She...Pepper is officially heartworm-free! (She is from the South and was infected before she was rescued.)
Today we can officially start to ease her exercise restrictions, which is super exciting! She got to play with her favorite squeaky ball for the first time in like four months and it was awesome seeing how proud she was while she pranced around showing it off in between squeaking sessions.
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Comment on Nova Launcher discontinued in ~tech
smithsonian Link ParentLawnchair looks to be the closest that has/does most things I want except for being able to assign custom actions to swiping up/down on icons on my home screen. It's one of those little things...Lawnchair looks to be the closest that has/does most things I want except for being able to assign custom actions to swiping up/down on icons on my home screen. It's one of those little things that lets me access related apps without having to do extra taps or add extra clutter.
I really enjoyed it! I liked that the pace was slower and the stakes were lower, and that Harry really just had time to live and grieve.
It was also good to see Harry start to rebuild some of those bridges that had gotten a bit burnt in Battle Grounds.
Spoiler Section and general stream of consciousness thoughts
I enjoyed the way his relationship with Lara evolved and was pleasantly surprised at Mab's manipulation and scheming. I can't imagine what Ebenezer would think of that whole thing if he knew all the details.
We also finally got confirmation about what Empty Night means, which will be one of the titles of the final three books in the series (the other two being Hells Bells and Stars and Stones).
The little cameo from Mother Winter and little confrontation with Harry and Mab was also really fun.
I was surprised to see the return of the Black Court so soon. I'm definitely interested to see what Drakul's motives are in all of this, especially since Drakul also appears to be a Star Born.
According to Jim's website, he's 28% done with the next book, so LET'S GOOOOO!
Potential spoilers and speculation about the next book
With the next book being Mirror, Mirror and Harry getting swapped into an alternate timeline by a version of himself that made different choices, I expect most of that book will be Harry trying to get back home so we won't get to explore most of these other things.