sparkle's recent activity
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Comment on What’s a must-buy item you get when traveling internationally? in ~travel
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Comment on Why contacting customer service might not be best in ~life
sparkle Link ParentMy wife accidentally washed her JR Pass midway through a trip. We had the pieces still but they were unreadable by the machine. We went to three JR offices in Tokyo and basically were told "no...My wife accidentally washed her JR Pass midway through a trip. We had the pieces still but they were unreadable by the machine. We went to three JR offices in Tokyo and basically were told "no sorry, no re-issuing". One manager brought out a roll of tape for us to piece it back together and at least let us through, but we couldn't use it with any kiosks.
We were already going to Nagano that day so we swung by the JR office there and explained the situation in broken Japanese and the manager took one look at the ticket, saw the verification code was still present, looked it up and verified my wife's ID and printed us a new pass. The manager did say that it was only because the verification code was still visible that he was able to do this.
I'm not certain if this was resolved because he knew the rules better, had more power, or was just less busy than everybody else. But we didn't have to push with him. I think it's more likely that the employees in Tokyo just weren't certain of the rules and didn't want to risk getting in trouble.
Also the best ooyaki are in the same building (Midori Nagano), little place called Irohado. My favourite hidden gem of food (at least it still was 3 years ago).
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Comment on Introducing XBOX backward compatibility on PC in ~games
sparkle Link ParentSome exclusives that are worth it imo: Panzer Dragoon Orta Brute Force Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball (it was actually a good (the only?) volleyball game) Ninja Gaiden Black Loved all of...Some exclusives that are worth it imo:
- Panzer Dragoon Orta
- Brute Force
- Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball (it was actually a good (the only?) volleyball game)
- Ninja Gaiden Black
Loved all of these as a teenager. That whole era of gaming had some absolute bangers. The Xbox also directly led to my favourite hobby of electronics tinkering as I did just about every mod imaginable to it, except for the RAM upgrade.
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Comment on AI companies are buying tons of old books because they're free of AI slop in ~books
sparkle Link ParentConsidering they likely won't care about reselling the books and will just take the pages out of the bindings, probably minutes? Consumer scanners regularly hit 35-45ppm, I imagine there are...Considering they likely won't care about reselling the books and will just take the pages out of the bindings, probably minutes? Consumer scanners regularly hit 35-45ppm, I imagine there are commercial ones that can hit 60+. War and Peace could be scanned in 20 minutes.
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Comment on Your cookware got worse on purpose: who owns Pyrex and All-Clad now in ~food
sparkle (edited )LinkThis is hilariously well timed. Just last night I knocked over a stack of Pyrex measuring cups. The ones on the bottom and top were older borosilicate ones. The one in the middle was a recently...This is hilariously well timed. Just last night I knocked over a stack of Pyrex measuring cups. The ones on the bottom and top were older borosilicate ones. The one in the middle was a recently acquired gift from a well meaning family member. Guess which one shattered into a million pieces as it was crushed between its older, heavier, siblings?
Any way, the recommendations don't really mention anything for borosilicate measuring cups outside of Europe. I did find that Nutrichef might make some good ones? But I've never looked into them before - anybody know anything about them? I've never heard of them which, considering I have heard of all the other shitty brands in the article, is probably a good thing.
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Comment on Linus Torvalds says Linux is not "anti-AI", tells haters to 'fork it' and 'just walk away' in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentTo be fair, I recently learned that a lot of the batshit insane decisions made by management at my company decades ago that are still haunting us today were a result of trying and succeeding at...To be fair, I recently learned that a lot of the batshit insane decisions made by management at my company decades ago that are still haunting us today were a result of trying and succeeding at attracting research grants. Apparently there was a program in our province (maybe federally?) where if you proved you were piloting novel methods you'd get free money. So this is why we were using in-house developed tools instead of industry standard CI/CD (an unholy festering conglomeration of web sockets, visual basic scripts, powershell, and c#), weird reliance on SVN, poor implementations of community editions of enterprise software, etc. A lot of this would come across as "artisanal" code probably as we were once a startup.
Now we're just another faceless tread on the ever wasting private equity wheel slowly grinding to a halt, but at least I get to keep my job because I'm the only one who knows how half this shit is even plumbed together. Oh and they keep reducing development teams so nobody has time to actually migrate away to supported software. Yay!
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Comment on Gift ideas for niece who’s into sewing? in ~life.women
sparkle LinkMy wife is an amazing seamstress and creates a lot of her clothes from scratch or modifies existing ones (like adding pockets!) Some things she likes that I haven't seen mentioned that can be...My wife is an amazing seamstress and creates a lot of her clothes from scratch or modifies existing ones (like adding pockets!)
Some things she likes that I haven't seen mentioned that can be really cute gifts are thimbles, needle minders, and of course pin cushions. Big brand craft shops might have some, but the really good ones are at boutique mom and pop craft shops.
On the more expensive end, an adjustable mannequin form would be great especially as she grows.
Also if she really gets into any particular fabrics like silk or linen, there's a multitude of specialty tools for those.
Sincerely, a man saving his couch loonies to buy the wife a serger.
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Comment on [SOLVED] Help identify this movie/TV show audio? in ~movies
sparkle Link ParentWell, I know we recorded Christmas videos over some Star Trek Voyager episodes and there's one point where there's a scene of Janeway in her ready room (I can't remember which episode it was)...And what sort of weird audio mismatches other VHS tapes may havr.
Well, I know we recorded Christmas videos over some Star Trek Voyager episodes and there's one point where there's a scene of Janeway in her ready room (I can't remember which episode it was) glitching in over Christmas festivities but the audio is just pretty generic dialogue like "Mr Tuvok, what is the status of..." as the video cuts to opening presents.
I'm sure there's lots of little fun glitches all over the place like that as basically everybody re-recorded over VHS tapes.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
sparkle (edited )Link ParentYou might also enjoy the Thai versions of farm equipment racing. They've got some insane rice tractor builds but maintain the basic shape of a rice tractor. Their drag boat racing is also insane -...You might also enjoy the Thai versions of farm equipment racing. They've got some insane rice tractor builds but maintain the basic shape of a rice tractor.
Their drag boat racing is also insane - typically straight piped Isuzu 4J diesel engines with a direct drive shaft turning a propellor.
Safety is... Typical SE Asian safety. Helmets more often than not at least, safety flip flops and safety squints for everything else. Goggles for the rice tractors at least since they typically go through mud. Wild sporting.
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Comment on Papa Johns can predict when your fridge is empty in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentCan't wait for Neuralink to become as common as the iPhone and ads can be beamed directly into our brains! Also while I'm shouting into the void, can the media please stop attributing the work of...Can't wait for Neuralink to become as common as the iPhone and ads can be beamed directly into our brains!
Also while I'm shouting into the void, can the media please stop attributing the work of hundreds of really smart scientists to Musk?
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Comment on I made a satirical AI detector in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentI do recall recipe blogs and other content being overly wordy, but the recipes at least were just a lot of jibbering about their dog and their husband fell off a boat dock in 1984 after eating...I do recall recipe blogs and other content being overly wordy, but the recipes at least were just a lot of jibbering about their dog and their husband fell off a boat dock in 1984 after eating this because it was so delicious and well if you want to use margarine instead of butter that's ok. The other content was often just illegible gibberish.
The somewhat coherent repetitive content feels recent to me though. I know the lengthy articles were an SEO "hack" since the late 2000s probably but the recent wave has been even worse. And they're also rife with wild inaccuracies which drives me nuts!
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Comment on I made a satirical AI detector in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentI was looking up some French/English language information earlier today and the first ten search results on DDG were from word salad domains like "worldtravelvisit.com",...I was looking up some French/English language information earlier today and the first ten search results on DDG were from word salad domains like "worldtravelvisit.com", "languagesaroundtheworld.us", etc. And every result used "it's not this, it's __" and also "in conclusion..." which I know everybody was taught that in school to finish off their papers, but you were never supposed to actually use "in conclusion" to start your conclusion.
My biggest annoyance with AI generated articles is the table of contents at the start and the endless word salad that just repeat the same thing over and over just changing the words a bit.
I'd love to have a search engine or extension that just blocks these sites entirely.
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Comment on Gander social launching on Canada Day in ~tech
sparkle LinkIronically, I will be in Gander on Canada Day - but I'm not much of a social media user so I'll probably pass. But I'll still support and spread the word for Canadian companies, provided they're...Ironically, I will be in Gander on Canada Day - but I'm not much of a social media user so I'll probably pass. But I'll still support and spread the word for Canadian companies, provided they're actually beneficial and not a bunch of crooks like Rogers/Shaw or basically all our grocery barons.
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Comment on Graduated again, not sitting in a field this time, AMA in ~talk
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Comment on Graduated again, not sitting in a field this time, AMA in ~talk
sparkle Link ParentWell, clearly not a short temper. Are you sure you're really a kwyjibo (¬_ ´¬ )Well, clearly not a short temper. Are you sure you're really a kwyjibo (¬_ ´¬ )
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Comment on Graduated again, not sitting in a field this time, AMA in ~talk
sparkle Link ParentWell that makes sense. Fal 'Ngeestra in the Culture series is precognizant (of a sort) which would fall into the meaning of fortune, to a certain extent. I'm impressed with the linguistic skills...Well that makes sense. Fal 'Ngeestra in the Culture series is precognizant (of a sort) which would fall into the meaning of fortune, to a certain extent.
I'm impressed with the linguistic skills of a big, dumb, balding, North American ape ;)
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Comment on Caught the cycling bug. Anyone else? in ~hobbies
sparkle Link ParentI've always been curious about the logistics behind international cycling. Do you pay extra to fly your bike? Or rent/buy one there? Any contingency plan for if it gets lost/stolen besides give up...I've always been curious about the logistics behind international cycling. Do you pay extra to fly your bike? Or rent/buy one there? Any contingency plan for if it gets lost/stolen besides give up and come home? Does immigration give you a hard time due to the uncertainty of the travel? Do you pack/purchase food to cook like dehydrated camping meals or just stop in towns for meals?
I've always been drawn to the allure and freedom of cycling but never had the time or money to really look into it deeply. Of course now I have money but not time... Lol
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Comment on Yum Brands sells Pizza Hut to private equity firm LongRange Capital and Yum China for $2.7 billion in ~food
sparkle Link ParentUnfortunately vestigial kitchen removal (kitchenectomy) is an elective surgery and insurance won't cover it, so Tim is just saving his money or hoping for a car accident that will make it a...Unfortunately vestigial kitchen removal (kitchenectomy) is an elective surgery and insurance won't cover it, so Tim is just saving his money or hoping for a car accident that will make it a necessary surgery.
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Comment on When is a bird a ‘birb’? An extremely important guide. in ~enviro
sparkle Link ParentHah ok I'll concede that mention that I missed. However, the image in rule 2 is clearly a borb! It's simple really - as a birb approaches sphere status, it simultaneously approaches borb totality....Hah ok I'll concede that mention that I missed. However, the image in rule 2 is clearly a borb! It's simple really - as a birb approaches sphere status, it simultaneously approaches borb totality.
However, to the best of my knowledge, no borb has reached totality. The closest is in fact, the oft overlooked aquatic borb - the pufferfish. Although this is more appropriately known as a florb or a blorb.
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Comment on When is a bird a ‘birb’? An extremely important guide. in ~enviro
sparkle LinkAudobon should have consulted me on Rule 2. A round birb is properly known as a "borb"! You would think that a world renowned publication could get that right.Audobon should have consulted me on Rule 2. A round birb is properly known as a "borb"!
You would think that a world renowned publication could get that right.
Salon-Pas patches with lidocaine! Afaik they're only in the US. When we go back to the States in 2.5years, we'll replenish our stock. We also usually visit LA and bring back lots of Asian goods that we can't get in the Prairies like tsukemono, senbei, etc. Also really really good Vietnamese beef jerky.