sparkle's recent activity

  1. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    Thanks! Getting a bit of Ayreon vibes from it - I do enjoy a good story told through song

    Thanks! Getting a bit of Ayreon vibes from it - I do enjoy a good story told through song

    1 vote

  2. Comment on OpenAI’s H1 2025: $4.3b in income, $13.5b in loss in ~tech

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    My organization has internal documentation spread across so many areas. GitHub, confluence, Jira, backstage, inherited wikis from acquisitions, Jim's "don't delete, impt docs" folder, etc. I'm...

    My organization has internal documentation spread across so many areas. GitHub, confluence, Jira, backstage, inherited wikis from acquisitions, Jim's "don't delete, impt docs" folder, etc. I'm half tempted to join our hackathon this year just to pitch a documentation oriented LLM to help organize all this. Sadly the hackathon will mostly be about "how can we use AI to gouge benefit customers". I guess this still falls under that umbrella lol, just not in the way management wants

    not just organization but, like you said, keeping it up to date as well! GitHub is actually pretty good at automatically updating documentation when setup right, but the rest are just generally unmaintained and unhelpful.

    Nobody wants to do the work to update and maintain it because we're all overworked (partially because of poor documentation) so an LLM would be an excellent tool in this situation

    5 votes

  3. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    This is really interesting because me, a usually pretty hardcore heavy/death metal head, found myself listening to lots of Bach and Strauss this week. And crocheting to it, just vibing and...

    This is really interesting because me, a usually pretty hardcore heavy/death metal head, found myself listening to lots of Bach and Strauss this week. And crocheting to it, just vibing and listening. It's been nice, though I still lean towards death metal for work lol

    1 vote

  4. Comment on It's impossible to evaluate your sleep with only one number in ~health

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    My experience mirrors yours - though my device is going on 8 years now and the heart rate tracking is showing its age. In the winter it will often get stuck at 140bpm during a run - slowing down...

    My experience mirrors yours - though my device is going on 8 years now and the heart rate tracking is showing its age. In the winter it will often get stuck at 140bpm during a run - slowing down or speeding up doesn't change it at all, only stopping will actually see a change. It also doesn't correctly register the beginning of a run, showing a near 50bpm instant increase, sustained for 2 minutes, then drops down to 75bpm. Seems like a software problem that probably won't be addressed due to its age.

    When I got COVID a few years ago, my resting heart rate was about 15-20bpm above average even a day before I started showing symptoms and carried through the week. So at least that worked well.

    All in all, I've been quite happy with it - 8 years is a long time in today's quick fashion and vapid tech world.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on It's impossible to evaluate your sleep with only one number in ~health

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    This is my problem with the "body battery" Garmin recently added. My watch isn't compatible thankfully, but my wife's is and she's constantly going on about how it says her body battery is low but...

    This is my problem with the "body battery" Garmin recently added. My watch isn't compatible thankfully, but my wife's is and she's constantly going on about how it says her body battery is low but I ask her how she feels and usually she feels just fine. But for some reason she wants to believe the Garmin knows something she doesn't or it's tracking a trend she can't see, etc. It just feels more gimmicky to me than anything and I don't know that I trust it.

    I also don't really trust my sleep tracker because I know I have sleep issues and it will often state I had a great 8 hours of sleep when in reality I know I was awake for 3 of those hours. Other times it will do the opposite.

    5 votes

  6. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹️⏰ 🗺️ 🐸 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Chrono Trigger in ~games

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    Both are sort of tie-ins to Chrono Cross, though if you want to play more Chrono Trigger, it's a decent stand alone. All of Chrono Cross is well entrenched in my mind though, so I don't have a...

    Both are sort of tie-ins to Chrono Cross, though if you want to play more Chrono Trigger, it's a decent stand alone. All of Chrono Cross is well entrenched in my mind though, so I don't have a good objective opinion on if it's enjoyable without playing/liking/knowing anything about Chrono Cross :/

    It's definitely fun, though I personally wouldn't play it right after playing Chrono Trigger just because the whiplash in quality is too jarring for me. I need some buffer space lol

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Elon Musk plans to take on Wikipedia with 'Grokipedia' in ~tech

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    I like that the "four angels standing on the four corners of the earth" as evidence for a flat earth is dismissed by "being a figure of speech", yet the same logic cannot be applied to the...

    I like that the "four angels standing on the four corners of the earth" as evidence for a flat earth is dismissed by "being a figure of speech", yet the same logic cannot be applied to the creation story in Genesis, that each "day" is a figure of speech.

    Cherry picking season is over, go home Conservapedia.

    24 votes

  8. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹️⏰ 🗺️ 🐸 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Chrono Trigger in ~games

    sparkle
    Link
    Chrono Trigger/Cross are my two favourite games of all time and I've played both extensively over the years - easily double digits of playthroughs on both and countless hundreds of hours well...

    Chrono Trigger/Cross are my two favourite games of all time and I've played both extensively over the years - easily double digits of playthroughs on both and countless hundreds of hours well spent.

    For those are emulating on x86/ARM and get hooked - maybe afterwards give some of the custom ROM hacks a shot? There are some fantastic ones out there - Crimson Echoes and Flames of Eternity are full-fledged fan sequels and there a variety of difficulty/QOL/de-specialized ROM hacks out there as well.

    I had initially turned away from them because I didn't want to taint my memory of CT, but then I picked up Crimson Echoes one day and quite thoroughly enjoyed it.

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Why do some gamers invert their controls? Scientists now have answers, but they’re not what you think. in ~games

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    That's a very interesting observation - I am also somewhat ambidextrous (I eat with my left hand usually, wristwatch on right hand, some sports with left hand, etc) but I am such an inverted gamer...

    That's a very interesting observation - I am also somewhat ambidextrous (I eat with my left hand usually, wristwatch on right hand, some sports with left hand, etc) but I am such an inverted gamer to the point I won't play a game if it's not available in inverted (thankfully it's usually doable via emulation/remapping these days). Many panicky moments switching Halo 3 to inverted when playing on a default profile...

    I remember at one point watching some shooter at a relatives house and was given a controller to play multiplayer with the rest. I got about three steps in, couldn't figure out how to switch to inverted, fell off a cliff because I kept pointing the camera up, and very quickly gave up. I just could not comprehend doing it any other way.

    I always felt it was more a spatial awareness thing as tilting the camera on a non-inverted setup triggered a near visceral feeling inside my brain. I also have lots of other various sensory issues so I figured the two went hand in hand lol. I'm also very stubborn so that could be a factor too haha

    4 votes

  10. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    Soya wadi look kinda like TVP, you should be able to use them in anything that calls for that. I imagine a very delicious butter soya wadi could come from that. Or maybe a Japanese curry. If you...

    Soya wadi look kinda like TVP, you should be able to use them in anything that calls for that. I imagine a very delicious butter soya wadi could come from that. Or maybe a Japanese curry.

    If you wanted something not soy, this recipe is my absolute favourite meat replacement. It does take some effort and requires a food processor (or maybe if you did it by hand you could skip 26lb bow arms and go even higher cuz it would be a workout!)

    I've made it dozens of times and always been impressed with how meaty it comes out. I've used it in stir fries, bbq, salads, rice bowls, even as a shredded pork substitute for Cuban sandwiches. They're also just great snacks too.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Finns trying to enjoy beaches and parks during their all-too-brief summers have been vexed by legions of geese and their droppings – the smelly mess has resisted even the most innovative solutions in ~enviro

    sparkle
    Link
    I don't know that we actually do anything in my part of Canada in the summer. They're just ever present and we accept that they live here in the summer and leave in the winter. They poop...

    I don't know that we actually do anything in my part of Canada in the summer. They're just ever present and we accept that they live here in the summer and leave in the winter. They poop everywhere and hiss at the lightest infraction just like the PCs. It's a part of life, you learn very quickly to identify their poop and dodge it. Granted, some of our beaches are more rocky than sandy so poop is easier to clean. Canadian geese also eat a lot of grass and tend to avoid areas without ample supplies of grass. It sounds like the barnacle geese feed on... barnacles so are more present at Finnish beaches.

    I do imagine that our water treatment plants and other infrastructure are designed to handle it though, so I can understand why the Finns would be upset if it's posing a health hazard as well.

    As an aside, does the pooper scooper described in the article sound a lot like a nut roller like one of these?

    1 vote

  12. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life.men

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    My best guy friend couldn't make it to my wedding (middle of COVID) so my best gal pal was my best woman at my wedding. She's part of our story anyway so it really worked out better anyway. I've...

    Be willing to have female friends (the absolute best wingmen on Earth).

    My best guy friend couldn't make it to my wedding (middle of COVID) so my best gal pal was my best woman at my wedding. She's part of our story anyway so it really worked out better anyway.

    I've always had close female friends so I consider myself lucky to a) have them and b) to be married to somebody who doesn't mind and doesn't get jealous. I feel like too often social media and reality trash emphasize that jealousy is the default state and that just sucks for everybody involved. Lack of trust erodes reality faster than anything.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on What happened to your first car? in ~transport

    sparkle
    Link
    Bought a '93? Jeep Cherokee off a family friend for 1000$, completely manual everything and a total tank. Unfortunately I was addled by dumb teenager brain and wanted to show off at one point, so...

    Bought a '93? Jeep Cherokee off a family friend for 1000$, completely manual everything and a total tank. Unfortunately I was addled by dumb teenager brain and wanted to show off at one point, so I tried going through a sizeable mud puddle after a heavy rain and managed to roll it on a back country road.

    Thankfully wasn't hurt, the car was even in pretty good shape, just a mildly crushed roof. Really considered turning it into a convertible. Managed to get 500$ for it as scrap metal so not a terrible loss, but damn that was a good three years we had together.

    Now I'm mostly car free as I live in a fairly walkable/bikeable city. Being able to walk to the grocery store or bike to boulangerie is really fantastic, aside from the whole six months of winter

    1 vote

  14. Comment on What happened to your first car? in ~transport

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    Wow, having a car at 5! I think I was still mastering pooping then. Poor reading comprehension jokes aside, I remember one time in university when I was designated driver and my rich drunk friend...

    Wow, having a car at 5! I think I was still mastering pooping then.

    Poor reading comprehension jokes aside, I remember one time in university when I was designated driver and my rich drunk friend let me drive the brand new 325i her parents bought her and it was an absolute dreeeeeam. Of course years later, I learned the cars aren't particularly expensive, it's the maintenance that gets you... But damn is it a fantastic car

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Pebble recovers original trademark in ~tech

    sparkle
    Link
    Just got this update in my email and thought I'd share as I know there are a few around here that like Pebble watches and a couple still sporting the originals! I wish I was but unfortunately a...

    Just got this update in my email and thought I'd share as I know there are a few around here that like Pebble watches and a couple still sporting the originals! I wish I was but unfortunately a skiing trip ruined my Pebble Time :(

    It's a small thing but it's kinda nice to see a door to the past reopen a bit in a legally binding way.

    10 votes

  17. Comment on Sleep discipline in ~life

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    I will second reading. I used to just kinda doom scroll reddit before bed until I got bored enough to try and maybe sleep. It was not a very useful system. After quitting reddit due to the API...

    I will second reading. I used to just kinda doom scroll reddit before bed until I got bored enough to try and maybe sleep. It was not a very useful system. After quitting reddit due to the API fiasco, I picked up reading in bed. Almost always I am asleep within 20-30 minutes. I'm also using a Kindle Paperwhite which is fantastic for night time reading!

    The only problem is now I've somewhat Pavloved myself into thinking that reading=sleeping... But then again not always a bad thing since naps are quite nice

    7 votes

  18. Comment on What silly complaints would your pets try to report? in ~life.pets

    sparkle
    Link
    My resident trip hazard would like to complain that he is in not, in fact, a trip hazard but rather that the bipedal mammals walking are not attentive enough. This has nothing to do with said trip...

    My resident trip hazard would like to complain that he is in not, in fact, a trip hazard but rather that the bipedal mammals walking are not attentive enough.

    This has nothing to do with said trip hazard possessing the survival skills of a flightless potato during a famine.

    Nor is it because of the trip hazard's desire to be near the humans but not actually touching, just very close, so that they don't notice he's there until they take a step backward and are met with blood curdling yowls.

    And certainly running into the human's foot as they are walking is totally normal cat behaviour and the human should adjust in such a manner that they do not stumble and fall instead of the trip hazard simply choosing better trajectories.

    6 votes

  19. Comment on Low-end Linux tablet recommendations in ~tech

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    One day! If I ever come across anything I'll be sure to let you know :)

    One day! If I ever come across anything I'll be sure to let you know :)

    1 vote

  20. Comment on Low-end Linux tablet recommendations in ~tech

    sparkle
    Link Parent
    I actually do have KOReader but either the screen size of the Paperwhite 2 is too small or I'm a dunce who doesn't know how to use it because two column PDFs are still difficult to read :/

    I actually do have KOReader but either the screen size of the Paperwhite 2 is too small or I'm a dunce who doesn't know how to use it because two column PDFs are still difficult to read :/