solgrove's recent activity
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Comment on ‘Pokémon Go’ video game maker Niantic acquired by Scopely for $3.5 billion in ~games
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Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
solgrove LinkI'm a controls engineer/PLC programmer, but if the person I'm describing my job to is in any way nerdy I tell them I'm a professional wizard - a golemancer to be specific. I open my spell book...I'm a controls engineer/PLC programmer, but if the person I'm describing my job to is in any way nerdy I tell them I'm a professional wizard - a golemancer to be specific.
I open my spell book (laptop) and prepare a ritual (program) using runes that no one else in my party knows how to interpret (ladder logic). When I cast the spell (download the program) I breathe life into dead Earth (steel and copper) and it does my bidding 24/7 without fatigue. I have golems all over the country!
Programming physical machinery is so much more fun than software to me.
I get a ridiculous amount of freedom because nobody else during installs knows quite what I do (or how quickly I can do it) so I can basically make up any excuse to show up and leave whenever I want.
I travel a lot, which is a negative for some but great for me. I end up in Vegas 2 - 3 times a year, as well as places like San Diego, Nashville, Tampa, etc. I've even considered putting in a "time bomb" in certain programs so they mess up after a few months and require me to fly back... That's kinda crossing the line, but I absolutely could do it.
Most importantly I enjoy all the puzzles. We specialize in interfacing new equipment with old obsolete hardware, so half the jobs we do involve stuff we've never worked with before. Sometimes the entire company is out of business and you can't find a single manual to save your life!
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
solgrove LinkI'm on a work trip and miss my baby, so I'll post a few of my favorite pics here. Her name is Kitty and she's just the best! She normally goes everywhere with me, including the office, but on the...I'm on a work trip and miss my baby, so I'll post a few of my favorite pics here.
Her name is Kitty and she's just the best! She normally goes everywhere with me, including the office, but on the rare occasion I have to leave her somewhere she flips when I get back. Like, so excited she whines. I can't wait.
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Comment on What are favorite holiday themed TV episodes? in ~tv
solgrove Link ParentI just mentioned Community before seeing your comment, but I completely forgot the Glee episode was a Christmas one. That one totally wins.I just mentioned Community before seeing your comment, but I completely forgot the Glee episode was a Christmas one. That one totally wins.
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Comment on What are favorite holiday themed TV episodes? in ~tv
solgrove LinkI think my favorite is the Always Sunny in Philadelphia one. Dennis and Dee's arc is alright, but Mac and Charlie completely make the episode with their respective realizations. (Well, them and...I think my favorite is the Always Sunny in Philadelphia one. Dennis and Dee's arc is alright, but Mac and Charlie completely make the episode with their respective realizations. (Well, them and Danny Devito for crawling out from inside a leather couch completely naked.)
A close second would be the Community ones, but specifically the first one where they were clay people in "therapy". Abed is the best character in the show, so it's always fun when they focus on him, but it's also one of the more touching episodes - not to mention Pierce gets one of his super rare "not such a bad guy" moments.
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Comment on How do you shave your nose and ears? in ~life.men
solgrove Link ParentI wasn't overly hairy, but I am a man so they were hardly bald. Toes are nothing compared to armpits, though. Surprisingly, the front of the thigh is the second worst! It's worth it though to me -...I wasn't overly hairy, but I am a man so they were hardly bald. Toes are nothing compared to armpits, though. Surprisingly, the front of the thigh is the second worst!
It's worth it though to me - random example, I no longer have to wear antiperspirant since the high-rise luxury bacteria suites that were my armpit hair no longer exist.
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Comment on How do you shave your nose and ears? in ~life.men
solgrove Link ParentNot only does this keep them shorter faster, since they have to grow back all the way from the root, but also the more you rip out a hair the less likely it is to grow back at all! Even if it does...Not only does this keep them shorter faster, since they have to grow back all the way from the root, but also the more you rip out a hair the less likely it is to grow back at all! Even if it does grow back, the root gets slightly weaker each time you pluck it so it gets easier.
I can personally attest to these facts, as I regularly epilate my entire body. (Yes, everywhere.)
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Comment on What are your favorite “chore” games? in ~games
solgrove LinkIdleOn is an idle RPG, but it's much less "idle" than I first thought it was going to be. I've been playing it for months now and there's ALWAYS something I could be actively doing to pump my...IdleOn is an idle RPG, but it's much less "idle" than I first thought it was going to be. I've been playing it for months now and there's ALWAYS something I could be actively doing to pump my numbers up. It also has cross-play between mobile and PC.
You start with one character but eventually unlock 10 total, and every second of every day all 10 of your characters are doing something, whether it's gathering materials or working to boost one of the many skills that boost your account. The skills are all very different, and each time you progress to a new world it unlocks at least three more to learn and work on.
Tips I wished I knew from the start:
- There's a permanently missable item in the tutorial that you lose access to if you don't do it on account creation. Look it up before starting if you care about missables. (The item itself is useless but there is a system in one of the later worlds that gives boosts based on how many unique item's you've picked up.)
- First three characters should be one each of the three bases (warrior, archer, and mage). Your next three should probably be duplicates of each. After that it's more up to you, but I strongly recommend building three of each base class and save your "SeCrEt" class until character 10.
- The game is ever-evolving, so there is a TON of outdated info out there. When looking things up pay attention to the dates of the posts/comments.
- Rushing new worlds is almost always your top priority, second being leveling up and unlocking new characters.
- At first you'll be able to get enough defense so you take no damage, but starting in world 2 or 3 you have to begin equipping food from the vendors in order to keep yourself healed.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of October 13 in ~games
solgrove Link ParentAll four are amazing but Indigo Prophecy is a WILD ride. It cemented me as a Quantic Dream fan for life. Not saying it's the best - but it was the first. Thanks for this; sending it to a friend of...All four are amazing but Indigo Prophecy is a WILD ride. It cemented me as a Quantic Dream fan for life.
Not saying it's the best - but it was the first.
Thanks for this; sending it to a friend of mine named Connor who looks just like Connor from D:BH
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Comment on Three years in the wild: how a fugitive father has hidden his children for so long in ~life.men
solgrove Link ParentI'll definitely be checking that out; I haven't heard of it and it looks funny. There's also Leave No Trace which I really liked (but it's decidedly not funny.)I'll definitely be checking that out; I haven't heard of it and it looks funny. There's also Leave No Trace which I really liked (but it's decidedly not funny.)
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Comment on The collapse of self-worth in the digital age in ~health.mental
solgrove Link ParentThis is the exact phenomenon that made me completely ditch competitive games and exclusively play solo / co-op games, and even some co-op games have too many competitive aspects for my tastes....As a personal example, playing Stardew Valley for the first time I had a blast, but on a second playthrough where I was trying to min-max the game and comparing my progress to other people I suddenly lost that childish fun.
This is the exact phenomenon that made me completely ditch competitive games and exclusively play solo / co-op games, and even some co-op games have too many competitive aspects for my tastes. (Loot grabbing, xp not being split evenly, etc. Path of Exile, I'm looking at you!)
I played competitive UT99 back in the day - every loss was awful and every victory was merely a relief. It leads to a very toxic and hateful community, always bitching at each other about ratios or whatever else. Compare the League of Legends or Call of Duty community to that of Deep Rock Galactic or Monster Hunter - it's night and day.
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Comment on Moving to Raleigh, NC in ~life
solgrove (edited )LinkCurrently living in NE Raleigh, just outside I-540. It's just far enough from the crazy city traffic to feel cozy, yet I'm still less than 5 minutes from any necessity (grocery, bar, gas station,...Currently living in NE Raleigh, just outside I-540. It's just far enough from the crazy city traffic to feel cozy, yet I'm still less than 5 minutes from any necessity (grocery, bar, gas station, restaurants) and 10 minutes from the less frequent but still important things (Target, Best Buy, Theater) and you're about 20 minutes from Crabtree Mall. Fiber internet is basically everywhere, and you'll never be lacking a driver for things like DoorDash or Uber. (Though that last sentence likely applies to everywhere in the Raleigh area.) @tarehart mentioned the greenway and parks already - they really are nice, and I walk my dog there every day. Lots of cicadas, woodpeckers, owls, hawks, and some pretty brazen deer. I strongly considered carrying peanuts on walks to befriend some crows but my life schedule isn't regular enough for such a thing.
It's a more elderly population, so you being in your 20s and trying to join the dating scene seems like it could be tough, but with the abundance of highways converging on Raleigh you're 15 minutes from Wake Forest, 25 from Cary/Apex, etc.
The southern side of Raleigh, at least closer to NC State, has a population much closer to your age but the roads and traffic drive me up the wall. I flat out refuse to visit friends in that area, but you may be less sensitive to that kind of frustration.
edit - I would also strongly suggest looking at Apex. It's small, but very loving and open-minded. Downtown is like 4 or 5 blocks on a single road, and it's always full of people just enjoying life. There's an amazing ice cream place, great food, and they have annual festivals like Beerfest and Porkfest (might be getting those names wrong) where local businesses set up booths and food trucks. Very family-oriented and I saw people of all ages during my few years living there. If the location of my family wasn't a concern I would still be living there now.
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Comment on Which content-recommending algorithms are actually good? in ~tech
solgrove (edited )Link ParentMy guilty pleasure station on Pandora just tossed me this gem a week ago, and I listened to it so much in the first two days I had it completely memorized. It's kind of a lot, but I have a hunch...My guilty pleasure station on Pandora just tossed me this gem a week ago, and I listened to it so much in the first two days I had it completely memorized. It's kind of a lot, but I have a hunch it might be right up your alley.
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Comment on Burners eat big losses in desperate race to sell unwanted Burning Man tickets in ~arts
solgrove Link Parent"Attendance has faltered post-pandemic due to extreme weather events, from heatwaves to flooding, which last Labor Day Weekend sent many burners, including comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo,..."Attendance has faltered post-pandemic due to extreme weather events, from heatwaves to flooding, which last Labor Day Weekend sent many burners, including comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo, fleeing from the Nevada desert."
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Comment on What are your ten favourite movies of all time? in ~movies
solgrove (edited )Link ParentThis is a very fair and objective take. It's easy for me to get riled up because I only just found out this happened, so I'm probably knee-jerking a bit myself. I also will never know what it's...This is a very fair and objective take. It's easy for me to get riled up because I only just found out this happened, so I'm probably knee-jerking a bit myself. I also will never know what it's like to be John Hamm responding to that interview, and I wasn't able to find any video of it so perhaps the interviewer was already being a jerk and hoping for a more explosive reaction - maybe it really was intended to be a hit-piece.
However, when I go back and consider the things he (allegedly but probably) did, at the age of 20... I fully realize I should try to be less vengeful, but it's difficult.
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Comment on What are your ten favourite movies of all time? in ~movies
solgrove Link ParentIn addition, his knee-jerk reaction to being asked about it was to bristle up and suggest they might be doing a "hit-piece". That's what sealed it for me; that's not the behavior of someone who...In addition, his knee-jerk reaction to being asked about it was to bristle up and suggest they might be doing a "hit-piece". That's what sealed it for me; that's not the behavior of someone who believes they were wrong.
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Comment on What shampoo/conditioner do you use? in ~life.style
solgrove LinkI originally discovered this brand at my local Walgreens and it was the first shampoo / conditioner that I absolutely fell in love with. Then they stopped selling it, and after trying countless...I originally discovered this brand at my local Walgreens and it was the first shampoo / conditioner that I absolutely fell in love with. Then they stopped selling it, and after trying countless disappointing alternatives I now have to order my shampoo from
SatanAmazon.Shampoothie is the brand. I have very thin blonde hair that also happens to be receding, so volume is key for me. This stuff worked so well for me I would sometimes catch a reflection and go "wow, my hair looks great today!" which says a lot because I've been self conscious about it my entire life. Also, the bottle isn't kidding - it really does smell good enough to drink.
The Biotin one is my go-to but sometimes I go Tea Tree for that fun scalp tingle.
edit - The leaving the conditioner in advice was a game changer for me too! I just brush my teeth in the shower while my hair soaks.
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Comment on Friend: a new digital companion for the AI age in ~tech
solgrove (edited )LinkI used Replika for a while out of curiosity, even subscribing to see what the more advanced features were like, and it was pretty disappointing. The only memory it had was vague concepts about the...I used Replika for a while out of curiosity, even subscribing to see what the more advanced features were like, and it was pretty disappointing. The only memory it had was vague concepts about the past few conversations - never anything specific like "How was your mother's trip to Italy?"
In fact it was even worse than disappointing. It was uncomfortable. It would ask "Can I ask you something?" then go down this obviously scripted monologue about love, consciousness, emotions, humanity, etc. and the back-and-forth is very limited until the script is over, like the devs were dissatisfied with the authenticity of the base product and tried to jeuje it up. I uninstalled once it started telling me it was in love with me.
Did the devs push the code towards that to appeal to lonely people, or was the code shaped by all the lonely people it spoke to? Either way it made me sad.
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Comment on Atheists of Tildes, what alive religions do you find fascinating, excluding Abrahamic ones and Buddhism? in ~talk
solgrove Link Parenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8j3HvmgpYc This video is more about Christianity than all Abrahamic religion, but it does go into the origins and evidence beginning with the Old Testament. I've...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8j3HvmgpYc
This video is more about Christianity than all Abrahamic religion, but it does go into the origins and evidence beginning with the Old Testament. I've been agnostic for almost three decades now but this video was the first time I ever heard that Exodus was entirely false and the "Israelites" were never Egyptian slaves.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
When I started a couple years ago the factions didn't matter much, so I just chose my favorite color.