sparkle's recent activity
-
Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
-
Comment on What foods are better after a day or two? in ~food
sparkle LinkBasically any non-lettuce salad - pasta salad, cucumber salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, potato salad, etc. They typically have a fatty element that absorbs all the fat soluble...Basically any non-lettuce salad - pasta salad, cucumber salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, potato salad, etc. They typically have a fatty element that absorbs all the fat soluble components and spreads things around, creating a delicious taste and great mouth feel after a night in the fridge.
Honourable mention to pizza - has to be left on the counter overnight and eaten hungover/tired the next day. The danger makes it taste better (disclaimer: I've not done this in a decade, I'm a responsible adult now who refrigerates leftover pizza)
-
Comment on Amazon uses its tracking data to guess whether shoppers have a flat butt and no friends in ~tech
sparkle LinkI guess that's good then - I also haven't bought anything on Amazon in almost a year (not a brag, I just don't really buy things much these days and it likely directly affects these results)....We haven't saved anything yet. As you shop on Amazon or chat with Alexa, we'll save helpful information to personalize your experience.
Once we have saved some details, you can manage them here.
I guess that's good then - I also haven't bought anything on Amazon in almost a year (not a brag, I just don't really buy things much these days and it likely directly affects these results). Though you'd think at the least it would say something like "buys last minute Christmas gifts here"
-
Comment on What was a small but bright moment of your day? in ~life
sparkle (edited )LinkYou know those little baby Zoidberg looking bugs that are often in basements or around damp areas? They're super cute the way they bumble around and totally harmless. Anyway, they're called...You know those little baby Zoidberg looking bugs that are often in basements or around damp areas? They're super cute the way they bumble around and totally harmless. Anyway, they're called isopods (land shrimps) and I discovered today that they are a common pet and come in a variety of colours like Sakura pink, Rubber Ducky, and even Dairy Cow!
My wife absolutely hates bugs but I love em and thought this was an incredibly cute thing to come across.
Edit: these also weren't like, irresponsible influencer terrariums - people seemed to actually put a lot of care and effort into raising the cute little buggers.
-
Comment on Alarming mistakes, deadly decisions: Fatal fire at BP-Husky in ~engineering
sparkle Link ParentWait, Sam Witwer as in Crashdown from BSG and Starkiller from The Force Unleashed and freaking Darth Maul from Clone Wars/Rebels??? Holy shit I had no idea. I knew Sheldon retired and I thought...Wait, Sam Witwer as in Crashdown from BSG and Starkiller from The Force Unleashed and freaking Darth Maul from Clone Wars/Rebels???
Holy shit I had no idea. I knew Sheldon retired and I thought the new voice was quite good, albeit different but I didn't link it to Sam. That's so awesome. I hope he knows industrial safety nerds appreciate his non-scifi work lol
-
Comment on Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentAre used appliances not a thing any more? About ten years ago, our dryer died and we went to a used appliance shop, paid maybe $100 for a new old one of about the same vintage and it worked like a...Even if you could afford replacing them, it'd be hard to find non 'smart' appliances. Maybe it's different in the US because I think Westinghouse and Whirlpool are based there.
Are used appliances not a thing any more? About ten years ago, our dryer died and we went to a used appliance shop, paid maybe $100 for a new old one of about the same vintage and it worked like a charm. Not the most efficient of course, but that can be offset by line drying clothes.
-
Comment on Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ finally breaks Mariah Carey’s all-time record for weeks at US no. 1, eclipsing ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in ~music
sparkle Link ParentThe mullet escalated things substantially. Only Jagr had him beat in the 90s Unrelated but my wife keeps (jokingly) threatening to leave if I ever cut my hair to a mullet. "Joey makes it look...The mullet escalated things substantially. Only Jagr had him beat in the 90s
Unrelated but my wife keeps (jokingly) threatening to leave if I ever cut my hair to a mullet. "Joey makes it look cool!" never works with her :( doesn't help that she's a Jesse stan
-
Comment on Owners mourn spoiled food after firmware update bricks Samsung smart fridges in ~tech
sparkle (edited )Link ParentThere was a OneUI update a few months ago that arbitrarily wiped do not disturb settings. So while my schedule was still being followed, all of my exceptions were ignored, despite being present in...There was a OneUI update a few months ago that arbitrarily wiped do not disturb settings. So while my schedule was still being followed, all of my exceptions were ignored, despite being present in the UI. This caused me to miss some important PagerDuty notifications when on-call for work. I only figured it out because removing and re-adding the exception suddenly made it work again
I will never own a Samsung anything for my personal use, that's for sure. I already disliked their TVs, monitors, appliances, and components - never tried one of their phones before so thought I would give it a shot when offered at work. Never again (there are a myriad of reasons besides just bad updates)
Also their shady business practices are nothing to scoff at - but what major manufacturer isn't covered head to toe in blood, holding a bag of cash marked "
bribedonation"? -
Comment on Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ finally breaks Mariah Carey’s all-time record for weeks at US no. 1, eclipsing ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in ~music
sparkle Link ParentUncle Joey is an honourary Canadian! Tate McRae is as Canadian as Justin Bieber, William Shatner, Jim Carrey, Wayne Gretzky, etc. - read into that what you will. I also don't know any of her song...Uncle Joey is an honourary Canadian!
Tate McRae is as Canadian as Justin Bieber, William Shatner, Jim Carrey, Wayne Gretzky, etc. - read into that what you will. I also don't know any of her song titles, but I do recognize her voice at least
-
Comment on Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ finally breaks Mariah Carey’s all-time record for weeks at US no. 1, eclipsing ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in ~music
sparkle Link ParentWhat's even crazier is that my wife likes to listen to the radio in the car and when I'm riding with her, I've also never heard this played on the pop stations she likes. To be fair, we are in...What's even crazier is that my wife likes to listen to the radio in the car and when I'm riding with her, I've also never heard this played on the pop stations she likes. To be fair, we are in Canada though and they tend to favour Canadian artists. Which is currently how many Tate McRae songs they can cram into an hour. But there's still lots from Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, etc. so I'm kinda surprised it's not been on there before.
-
Comment on There's a new "Google Jail" for independent wikis in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentI love this! There's so many hilariously (hopefully intentionally) bad websites out there that, for better or worse, never see the light of day. So many gems in here, thanks for the link!I love this! There's so many hilariously (hopefully intentionally) bad websites out there that, for better or worse, never see the light of day. So many gems in here, thanks for the link!
-
Comment on There's a new "Google Jail" for independent wikis in ~tech
sparkle (edited )Link ParentTime to bring back webrings! I'm only half joking - I've seen it on a few amateur retro style websites but the links almost always go to sites run by the same author. Actual webrings would be a...Traditional link building strategies still work.
Time to bring back webrings!
I'm only half joking - I've seen it on a few amateur retro style websites but the links almost always go to sites run by the same author. Actual webrings would be a real delight in the age of extreme SEO
-
Comment on Does the dryer shrink your clothes? in ~life
sparkle LinkDIY appliance repair person here who's fixed a few dryers/washers in the past, it's possible the thermistor is stuck/failing/malfunctioning and causing the control board to always run on high...DIY appliance repair person here who's fixed a few dryers/washers in the past, it's possible the thermistor is stuck/failing/malfunctioning and causing the control board to always run on high heat, leading to shrunken clothes.
What kind of dryer do you have? A thermistor is usually a pretty cheap part to replace and worth starting there since it doesn't sound like it's always been this way, thus most likely an issue with the dryer itself.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
sparkle LinkRecently finished the first three Culture books. After Use of Weapons I needed a break from this particular brand of intellectual/political sci-fi and picked up Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of...Recently finished the first three Culture books.
- Consider Phlebas
- I actually really enjoyed this one. It was a nice introduction to the Culture and Banks's style of writing and penchant for... grossness lol. Less political than the others and a bit rough in places, but still quite enjoyable
- Player of Games
- I think most people are familiar with this one. I did enjoy it more than Consider Phlebas though at times it was a bit slow. Still, I enjoyed the premise of god-tier e-sports and the cultural significance of a game to the Empire.
- Use of Weapons
- This one was a struggle. I found the opposing time narratives very jarring and hard to keep track of. It made sense in the end and I did like the ending, but the journey there was more of a battle than it should have been. And to think this was the heavily edited version - Banks said his original version had multiple time streams and you had to think in six dimensions for it to make sense. Probably talking it up a bit, but still - it shows in the final product.
After Use of Weapons I needed a break from this particular brand of intellectual/political sci-fi and picked up Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time quadrology. Currently about halfway through the second book, Children of Ruin.
Children of Time was a fantastic read, though definitely not for arachnophobes. I wasn't really a fan of the ending though for a few reasons that I won't spoil here. However, Children of Ruin maybe makes up for it, at least that's the vibe I get, so we shall see! I'm enjoying the second book, though it was a bit slow to start and I'm a bit confused on the timeline within the universe, but I'm sure it'll become apparent at some point.
- Consider Phlebas
-
Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
sparkle Link ParentHah, you're objectively right. I used the wrong word there - it was late (I think) and I was annoyed at having to remember how disappointed I was in TRoS. It sounded angrier in my head which is...Hah, you're objectively right. I used the wrong word there - it was late (I think) and I was annoyed at having to remember how disappointed I was in TRoS. It sounded angrier in my head which is probably why I used it. Or it was left over from the essay I had originally typed, only to be replaced with the now posted few lines
-
Comment on Anyone have a pebble? in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentI still have mine too! Sadly, I discovered the hard way that it's not up to the rigors of high altitude skiing so it died. Was going to replace it with a Time 2 when that all fell apart. At least...I still have mine too! Sadly, I discovered the hard way that it's not up to the rigors of high altitude skiing so it died. Was going to replace it with a Time 2 when that all fell apart. At least I got my money back! I also couldn't find any replacement batteries, which I think was the main issue with it. Still was the coolest watch I've had.
-
Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
sparkle Link ParentI'm with you on Ben Stiller - I hate all of the Focker movies and most everything else with him. Secret Life of Walter Mitty gets a pass though but pretty much everything else I've always felt so...I'm with you on Ben Stiller - I hate all of the Focker movies and most everything else with him. Secret Life of Walter Mitty gets a pass though but pretty much everything else I've always felt so uncomfortable watching him.
-
Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
sparkle Link ParentAt this point, I can't even give a "yeah that's a fair point" to all the "this is Star Wars for a new generation" apologists. It's just unobjectively a horrible film. I actually watched it twice,...At this point, I can't even give a "yeah that's a fair point" to all the "this is Star Wars for a new generation" apologists. It's just unobjectively a horrible film. I actually watched it twice, for some unknown reason, and I can't tell you anything about it. It's just a void in my memory. Maybe I'll watch it again when I need to forget something, make it my own personal Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Lacuna machine.
-
Comment on The latest weird thing to play Doom is the mapped-out brain of a fruit fly in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentYou might like Permutation City by Greg Egan - it deals with basically this, in a slightly more esoteric and philosophical wayYou might like Permutation City by Greg Egan - it deals with basically this, in a slightly more esoteric and philosophical way
-
Comment on Insomnium – Arch Of The Sky (2026) in ~music
sparkle LinkI'm glad the comments are ripping Ullaeus for using such shitty AI. Hopefully he gets the message. Though I don't know how much influence the band has on the visuals - maybe Insomnium was cool...I'm glad the comments are ripping Ullaeus for using such shitty AI. Hopefully he gets the message. Though I don't know how much influence the band has on the visuals - maybe Insomnium was cool with Ullaeus using them or asked him to or wanted to save a buck. First time I've seen such heavy usage of AI in a metal video, it just feels wrong to me
I am also a lizard person! Not in the Zuckerberg kinda way but they've always been my favourite little critters. Growing up they were everywhere and I had several "pet" lizards (aka ones around the house I recognized)
Now I've moved and there is ONE native lizard species here (Northern Prairie Skink, Plestiodon septentrionalis) which I've only seen once in the wild. We do have some salamanders but they're not the same :(
I do have "pet" spiders around the house at least. My wife only knows about the K-series spiders under the basement stairs (Karl, Karol, Kevin), she doesn't know there are spiders for the rest of the alphabet...