smores's recent activity
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | Special look in ~movies
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | Special look in ~movies
smores Link ParentI believe the robots are Sentinels. They seem to have been destroyed/disabled before he resurrects them, so possibly they will be the MCU's first version of Doombots? I'm pretty ok with not...I believe the robots are Sentinels. They seem to have been destroyed/disabled before he resurrects them, so possibly they will be the MCU's first version of Doombots?
I'm pretty ok with not knowing what the story is about. I kind of hate when trailers reveal much of the story. Looks like Doom's having a bit of a breakdown and is conquering the multiverse — that's enough for me!
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Comment on ‘X-Men’ finally unveils its cast, including Adam Driver, Inde Navarrette, Christopher Abbott in ~movies
smores Link ParentI only know Kit Connor from Heartstopper, where he is adorable and acts very well. I think he'll probably pull off a pretty good take on Scott!I only know Kit Connor from Heartstopper, where he is adorable and acts very well. I think he'll probably pull off a pretty good take on Scott!
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Comment on Is it time to include pronouns? in ~tildes
smores Link ParentCan I ask which language? I'm super curious!Can I ask which language? I'm super curious!
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Have you started Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki? in ~books
smores LinkI'm only 40% of the way through Perdido Street Station at the moment, but I will try to finish and pick up Light From Uncommon Stars before the end of the month! Thanks so much for picking this up...I'm only 40% of the way through Perdido Street Station at the moment, but I will try to finish and pick up Light From Uncommon Stars before the end of the month! Thanks so much for picking this up @ICN!
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Comment on After decades of drought, water is rising in the African Sahel in ~enviro
smores LinkThat's... Fascinating. I had no idea that coal usage in North America and Europe was interfering with the monsoon and causing drought in Africa. It makes me think, again, of the arguments for and...Why the revival of the rains? An assessment published in 2021 by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found “high confidence” among climate scientists that it is a result of strong warming in the North Atlantic, caused by a combination of global heating and a reduction, in Europe and North America, of sulphate aerosols from coal burning, which once created a thin haze that cooled the ocean. That cooling prevented the northward migration of the West African monsoon into the Sahel, resulting in drought. But the clean-up has warmed the ocean and pulled the monsoon back into the Sahel, strengthening its ability to produce deluges.
That's... Fascinating. I had no idea that coal usage in North America and Europe was interfering with the monsoon and causing drought in Africa. It makes me think, again, of the arguments for and against using terraforming to addrees climate change. Yet another example of how we unintentionally terraformed the planet in the past, causing untold damage, and are now doing it again (by simply using less coal) to attempt to mitigate that damage.
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Comment on Defective D&D magic items in ~games.tabletop
smores LinkFor the Helm of the Backseat Driver, is the DM giving advice at the start of the wearer's turn that they have to follow to maintain the bonus? That is both hilarious and seems like a lot of work hahaFor the Helm of the Backseat Driver, is the DM giving advice at the start of the wearer's turn that they have to follow to maintain the bonus? That is both hilarious and seems like a lot of work haha
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Comment on End of Series - Tildes Book Club discussion - July 2026 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers in ~books
smores Link ParentI now can't remember if this was actually suggested or if my own use of a pedal-assisted ebike just filled in the gap, but I had assumed that there was a battery-powered/solar-charged motor that...I now can't remember if this was actually suggested or if my own use of a pedal-assisted ebike just filled in the gap, but I had assumed that there was a battery-powered/solar-charged motor that assisted the pedaling. Even a very good set of gears would only get you so far pulling all of your possessions up a hill, every if they were very, very light!
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Comment on End of Series - Tildes Book Club discussion - July 2026 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers in ~books
smores (edited )Link ParentYeah I think the second book is basically just the second half (or maybe middle third?) of the story. There's some beauty in the brevity of the first book, but it's definitely worth picking up the...Yeah I think the second book is basically just the second half (or maybe middle third?) of the story. There's some beauty in the brevity of the first book, but it's definitely worth picking up the second one if you think you'd want more Monk & Robot!
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Comment on End of Series - Tildes Book Club discussion - July 2026 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers in ~books
smores LinkAt the recommendation of some others in this group, I read the sequel to this book shortly after reading the first one for book club. Some of what I'm thinking about is only revealed in the second...At the recommendation of some others in this group, I read the sequel to this book shortly after reading the first one for book club. Some of what I'm thinking about is only revealed in the second book, but it's just straightforward information about the society that Sibling Dex lives in. I will try my best to avoid any spoilers (not that these books are really ruined in any way by "spoilers").
As I read these two books, I found myself constantly comparing and contrasting with one of my favorite books, The Dispossessed. Again, trying to avoid any spoilers, the main character in The Dispossessed lives in an anarcho-syndicalist society. A lot of the book is dedicated to describing this society. Quite in contrast to Monk & Robot's Panga, the anarcho-syndicalists in The Dispossessed live on an arid desert moon called Anarres.
In Monk & Robot, how exactly humans are taught to participate so fully and freely and communally in their society is completely elided. It's sort of implied that once such a structure exists, it would be so intrinsically appealing that people would simply continue to perpetuate it. It's a very hopeful (and beautiful) view of humanity at its best.
In The Dispossessed, there are much more deliberate structures dedicated to perpetuating the anarchist principles of their society. Children are reared in collective schooling facilities, spending little time with their biological parents. They're discouraged from any thinking that could be interpreted as possessive ("egoizing"). The society of Anarres sees the kind of family organization that raised Sibling Dex as completely incompatible with their non-hierarchical society.
It's not explicitly stated, but there is a suggestion in The Dispossessed that the barren nature of Anarres contributes to the success of the society. Again, this is sort of taking the opposite stance to Monk & Robot's Panga. The sheer amount of effort that needs to go into keeping their society alive on Anarres seems to encourage a dedication to communal living and volunteerism — everyone can see how quickly they will perish if everyone doesn't do their part.
The societies have a lot in common, though. They both view the not-so-distant past of forced labor (via robots on Panga, via prisons on Anarres/Urras) with a sense of horror and (depending on the generation) even disbelief. They have a level of sexual freedom and celebration of bodies that far surpasses most modern societies. They value labor and communal volunteerism very highly.
I have more thoughts but not more time to write about them at the moment, so I guess I'll post this as is now. Curious if anyone else was thinking about Anarres while they read about Panga, though!
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Comment on End of Series - Tildes Book Club discussion - July 2026 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers in ~books
smores Link ParentI really loved this quote, and it captures a way of living and seeing the world that I strive toward. I also really appreciated the implication that even in a society that has no currency or...I really loved this quote, and it captures a way of living and seeing the world that I strive toward.
I also really appreciated the implication that even in a society that has no currency or capital, whose resources are shared freely (and seemingly so abundant that essentially no one is ever without), humans still feel the need to be "productive".
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Comment on Ariana Grande is ‘taking a step back from visibility’ after tour as public scrutiny intensifies in ~music
smores Link ParentThere is. And I worry, too, that someone struggling with their own body and food relationships can see this "conversation" and mostly be hearing: "Even Ariana Grande doesn't look good enough for...But also celebs being the jumping off point for bigger conversations isn't entirely unusual either - whether it's about health or domestic violence or any number of things.
But there's still a person under all that.
There is. And I worry, too, that someone struggling with their own body and food relationships can see this "conversation" and mostly be hearing: "Even Ariana Grande doesn't look good enough for them." I mean there's no winning here, people will gleefully deride every single woman's physical appearance.
I've got a daughter now, and myself have struggled with (luckily manageable) body dysmorphia in the past. I used to hate my body for being too skinny and too fat all at the same time, so that was... fun.
My wife and I have started meeting with an intuitive eating nutritionist. She helps us work through strategies for providing a bullwark for our daughter against the kinds of societal pressure to look a particular way that we felt when we were growing up. It's sometimes staggering to confront the sheer scale of anti-fat bias and misogyny leveled at young people every day. Just spending any amount of time around parents of young children, and seeing how many of them (often good-hearted, well-intentioned people!) can't stop themselves from making comments about their children's food intake or limiting their access to foods that they have deemed "bad". Hell, half the parents I know have some app that lets them scan a bar code so they can see whether a food is "bad" or "good". It hurts my soul a little.
We seem very, very far from anything resembling a society-level "healthy relationship with food".
Thank you for your replies, as well!
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Comment on Ariana Grande is ‘taking a step back from visibility’ after tour as public scrutiny intensifies in ~music
smores Link ParentI don't disagree. That doesn't really seem like the shape that this current moment is taking though, I think. Instead, it looks like just another version of that exact same system that you're...There is some space for societal concern about this trend returning, worsened by access to things like ozempic.
I don't disagree. That doesn't really seem like the shape that this current moment is taking though, I think. Instead, it looks like just another version of that exact same system that you're identifying from the previous era. People have been remarking that Ariana Grande is too thin for the better part of a decade now. I'm sure that before that (maybe even during it!) there were also people remarking about her being too fat. There's precisely one — mostly imaginary — shape that women are allowed to be in public, and I think that criticizing women for being too thin is probably feeding the same mysoginystic beast that gets fed when women are critized for being too fat.
Also, if what folks are looking for is a grounding example for a conversation about how modern society goes out of its way to induce eating disorders in women, there's really no need for that conversation to involve speculating about whether Ariana Grande has an eating disorder. Dozens of celebrities have had public conversations about their experiences with eating disorders. Here's Sophie Turner:
"When you’re bulimic, your face tends to bloat. So when I finally did get better in my early 20s, my face went back to normal. Then, suddenly, all the comments were about whether I’d had buccal fat removal or not,” she told British Vogue in 2024. “So yeah, you can never win.”
This shit is absolutely miserable, in my opinion. Plenty good fodder for social concern about this trend returning (or, more accurately I think, never having really gone away at all, just navigated more "politely").
Anyway, I think that you and I don't really disagree on this, thank you for allowing me some space to rant a bit.
And this is why nothing about celebrity is particularly healthy, or positive for society IMO.
Indeed.
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Comment on Ariana Grande is ‘taking a step back from visibility’ after tour as public scrutiny intensifies in ~music
smores Link ParentDefinitely agree. It's abysmally shitty that anyone's response to a suspicion that someone might have an eating disorder or body dysmorphia is to publicly call them out on it. If she does have a...Definitely agree. It's abysmally shitty that anyone's response to a suspicion that someone might have an eating disorder or body dysmorphia is to publicly call them out on it. If she does have a body-dysmorphia-driven eating disorder, thousands of public comments by strangers about her appearance certainly isn't going to fucking help. Ugh.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
smores LinkThe Punch Brothers have a new album: The Unsung Adventures of the Punch Brothers. It's their first all instrumental album (get it?). It's very good, as usual! Also been listening to the new Shakey...The Punch Brothers have a new album: The Unsung Adventures of the Punch Brothers. It's their first all instrumental album (get it?). It's very good, as usual!
Also been listening to the new Shakey Graves album, [Unkown Album], which I think is brilliant.
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Comment on Pretty sure I’ve been drinking mold for the past month (or longer) in ~talk
smores Link ParentYup, this is exactly it, as I understand it! And let me tell you, that approved threshold allows enough salt for water to taste really salty. I'm very happy with our 6 TDS from our new RO system hahaYup, this is exactly it, as I understand it! And let me tell you, that approved threshold allows enough salt for water to taste really salty. I'm very happy with our 6 TDS from our new RO system haha
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Comment on Pretty sure I’ve been drinking mold for the past month (or longer) in ~talk
smores Link ParentYeah we have one of these as well and it's pretty amazing. We got it when it became clear that our water was just going to taste like salt every winter as the road salt seeped into the water...Yeah we have one of these as well and it's pretty amazing. We got it when it became clear that our water was just going to taste like salt every winter as the road salt seeped into the water (apparently this is "fine"?? Not sure I believe you, American Water).
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Comment on What self-help / personal development books did you find valuable? in ~books
smores LinkHm. This is not a self-help book, per se — nominally it's a parenting book. But the book Parenting Beyond Power by Jen Lumanlan has completely transformed the way I view nearly every relationship...Hm. This is not a self-help book, per se — nominally it's a parenting book. But the book Parenting Beyond Power by Jen Lumanlan has completely transformed the way I view nearly every relationship and interpersonal conflict in my life. Two years after first reading it, I still think about it at least once a week (admittedly this is at least in part because I now have a young child). I found it to be a really useful and practical dissection of how systemic power dynamics shape our relationships, and what alternatives we have for engaging with the people around us.
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Comment on Silicon Valley has a science fiction problem in ~tech
smores Link ParentSeconding The Dispossessed, that's one of my favorites!Seconding The Dispossessed, that's one of my favorites!
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Comment on Who cleans up after the vibe-coding party? in ~tech
smores Link ParentMarijn Haverbeke, creator of CodeMirror and ProseMirror (two rather fundamental libraries for code and rich text editing on the web) just announced that for Wordgard, his successor to ProseMirror,...Marijn Haverbeke, creator of CodeMirror and ProseMirror (two rather fundamental libraries for code and rich text editing on the web) just announced that for Wordgard, his successor to ProseMirror, he won't be accepting community contributions specifically to avoid coding agents.
Ha, yeah, fair enough!