the_walrus's recent activity

  1. Comment on Songlink (song.link) has changed name to Odesli in ~music

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Seriously. I hate made-up words (or extremely rare words) for company names. It's so hard to remember a name if it's a word I've never heard before!

    Seriously. I hate made-up words (or extremely rare words) for company names. It's so hard to remember a name if it's a word I've never heard before!

    3 votes

  2. Comment on A site to randomly stumble on to new and unique webpages - stumblingon in ~tech

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    And it's good to get a sense of other people's perspectives on the world. Even if someone's perspective is based in nonsense, I believe it's important to at least get a sense of that person's...

    And it's good to get a sense of other people's perspectives on the world. Even if someone's perspective is based in nonsense, I believe it's important to at least get a sense of that person's train of thought. We can't understand someone's perspective until we learn about it. The key getting along with one another is understanding each other's perspectives, whether we individually agree with them or not.

    Also, there's no denying it can be fun to entertain your superiority complex when you read about something that is so obviously untrue.

    6 votes

  3. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Definitely. Another easy way to start a conversation is to comment "FIRST!!!!!" ...just kidding. An honest suggestion: Just grab a few lines from the article that stood out to you. "I noticed this...

    Definitely. Another easy way to start a conversation is to comment "FIRST!!!!!"

    ...just kidding. An honest suggestion: Just grab a few lines from the article that stood out to you. "I noticed this portion <quote from article> and I thought it was a great point." It's an easy starting point for a conversation, and people have opportunity to build off your comment.

    8 votes

  4. Comment on What games would you consider "hidden gems"? in ~games

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Especially with your master formatting!

    Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Especially with your master formatting!

    5 votes

  5. Comment on Cocktails from the 1970s in ~food

    the_walrus
    Link
    I love cocktails, and I'm not a fan of the "473 Things That Only Left-Handed Puerto Rican Navy Vets With An Undergraduate Degree In Criminal Justice And A Minor In Zoology Will Understand"...

    I love cocktails, and I'm not a fan of the "473 Things That Only Left-Handed Puerto Rican Navy Vets With An Undergraduate Degree In Criminal Justice And A Minor In Zoology Will Understand" format...

    But I love this list! I grew up after the '70s so I don't remember these in context, but I've had each of these at one point or another. A Golden Cadillac is probably my favorite dessert drink.

    I was a little surprised that they mentioned drinks being cheaper in the '70s. Was that really the case (inflation aside, of course)? I kinda figured cocktails had always been pricey since they have to be made instead of just poured. I think it's interesting to see the new wave of cocktails making their way back into the mainstream. It's just too bad that a $12 drink is not uncommon.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on With rich folklore traditions why have movies collapsed to just a few monsters? in ~movies

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    From what I understand based on your comment, I'm under the impression you're implying that these truly are the scariest monsters out there. I totally disagree. There are way scarier monsters from...

    From what I understand based on your comment, I'm under the impression you're implying that these truly are the scariest monsters out there. I totally disagree. There are way scarier monsters from stories from other cultures. I also think you're giving too much credit to both the creators and the audience regarding the depth of these characters. I'm not so sure that Twilight was an extended metaphor about the 1%, for example.

    Your comment provides an interesting perspective, I just think that if there is any truth to it, it accounts for a very small part of the answer to OP's question.

    Good storytelling, especially in horror, is about balancing familiarity with the unknown. I think the reason we have so many stories focused on a handful of monsters is because people are attracted to the familiarity. When someone goes to see a vampire movie, they expect to see a pale humanoid that sucks blood from other humans. If a wodnik (a monster from Polish folklore) movie came out, for example, most Americans would not know what it is, and may be less interested.

    I mean, look at Frozen. It wasn't pitched as a movie about Satan and the Snow Queen (like the Hans Christian Anderson story from which it was derived), it was a princess movie! Kids love princess movies, so Disney knew they could capitalize on that familiarity.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Eleven things computer users will never experience again (2015) in ~tech

  8. Comment on What has made you laugh recently? in ~talk

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    I had no idea, I assumed everything was scripted. That actually makes it funnier. I just stumbled into it after browsing around on Hulu, and I was really blown away. I think part of the reason I...

    The businesses are real, and the people he enlists for help don't realize they're on a comedy show. Only Nathan and his crew know the full scheme, but the scheme is ever-changing based on how things unfold.

    I had no idea, I assumed everything was scripted. That actually makes it funnier.

    I just stumbled into it after browsing around on Hulu, and I was really blown away. I think part of the reason I really like it is because it's such a perfect parody of the shows like it from the early '00s. It makes me think of the original Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, or Hotel Hell. A varation on this line comes up at least once per episode...

    Nathan: So do you think my idea will work?
    Business owner: I mean, I'm not terribly confident in it, but, I guess, maybe, it might be worth giving a go?
    Nathan [voiceover]: The business owner was absolutely thrilled with my idea! Now it was time to get the rest of the team on board.

    ...and I practically fall off the couch laughing every time.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on Eleven things computer users will never experience again (2015) in ~tech

    the_walrus
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I had the same thought. This article should have been titled, "11 Things Computer Users Will Never Have To Experience Again." None of the things the author listed are commonplace anymore, but...

    I had the same thought. This article should have been titled, "11 Things Computer Users Will Never Have To Experience Again." None of the things the author listed are commonplace anymore, but there were certainly a lot of things she talked about that a user still has to deal with when building a computer.

    Edit: Fixed pronoun for author.

    6 votes

  10. Comment on So can you post images or videos I don’t think I’ve ever seen any ? in ~tildes

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    This was part of the reason reddit didn't support direct uploads for a long time. It started out as a way to save bandwidth and storage space on their end, but they held off for a long time...

    This was part of the reason reddit didn't support direct uploads for a long time. It started out as a way to save bandwidth and storage space on their end, but they held off for a long time because it would change the site experience (and it sure did, in a negative way, if you ask me). I mean, they branded themselves as a "social news site," not a "dank meme repository," after all.

    The original reason imgur was created was to be a basic, simple image host for reddit, without all the fluff and nonsense that comes with other image hosts, which at the time, tended to be social media sites. It's ironic that imgur has become the very thing they were initially seeking to avoid.

    Anyway, I agree with your comment, I just thought it might be interesting to share some insight about how past sites have handled this. I think the "slow to digest" approach seems to be working well for Tildes.

    4 votes

  11. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Thanks, I definitely will check it out!

    Thanks, I definitely will check it out!

    1 vote

  13. Comment on What is a subject you could talk for 2+ hours about with a great degree of accuracy and no preparation whatsoever? in ~talk

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Are you talking about minerals or heavy rock music?

    Are you talking about minerals or heavy rock music?

    13 votes

  14. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    the_walrus
    Link
    I'm so glad you've asked this question. I've been dying to talk to someone about M Y S T For those not familiar, it's a point-and-click puzzle game that drops you on an island without any...

    I'm so glad you've asked this question. I've been dying to talk to someone about

    M Y S T

    For those not familiar, it's a point-and-click puzzle game that drops you on an island without any instruction or obvious information. You travel in time and space by using clues to solve puzzles throughout the game. The story focuses on collecting journal pages for two journals in the main library. Each page unfolds more information about the backstory.

    It's a game that I played years ago, probably around 2000, on a Windows 97 laptop. I was unable to get the right drivers to make all the video content work in the game, so it was largely unplayable. I was also pretty young and I think I just didn't have the intelligence or creativity to figure out the game.

    My father mentioned to me recently that he had booted up an old computer (I think to track down an old client file) and had started playing MYST. I recalled that the game was remade recently, so I searched for it on Steam. Little did I know there were several remasters and sequels that have been made since then.

    Because I wanted to relive the original experience (and because I'm a cheap bastard) I downloaded the $6 port of the original game. Nothing was changed, other than the fact that it can run on modern computers without messing around with drivers.

    I guess this has largely become a story about how I found the game again, but the point is that I'm totally engrossed in the gameplay. It's incredibly innovative, creative, and definitely eerie. There's a fantastic blend of music and ambient sound, and a certain depth to the storyline that I didn't remember from when I played it originally.

    I would definitely recommend checking out this game. It moves incredibly slowly compared to most modern video games, but I really love that. It's a nice change of pace that I'm really into.

    7 votes

  15. Comment on Meet the Monster Energy elite: Inside the global community of collectors, reviewers and influencers hunting the world’s rarest Monsters in ~hobbies

    the_walrus
    Link
    This made me really happy! I never knew there were so many flavors of Monster. I always thought people's obsession with Monster seemed pretty "white trash," but I think this article proved me...

    This made me really happy! I never knew there were so many flavors of Monster. I always thought people's obsession with Monster seemed pretty "white trash," but I think this article proved me wrong. Even though it's something I don't think I would ever be interested in, I'm glad that the collectors (and their followers) have found a hobby they enjoy.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Tildes app ? in ~tildes

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Oh that sounds pretty neat. Thanks for your explanation.

    Oh that sounds pretty neat. Thanks for your explanation.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Tildes app ? in ~tildes

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    Exactly. It's like the OG responsive design. Reminds me of how reddit started (and stayed, for quite a long time).

    Exactly. It's like the OG responsive design. Reminds me of how reddit started (and stayed, for quite a long time).

    4 votes

  18. Comment on Tildes app ? in ~tildes

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    What exactly does Hermit do? I've never heard of it before.

    What exactly does Hermit do? I've never heard of it before.

    5 votes

  19. Comment on Things chefs do that you should not do: Just say no to lemon zest, “ripping hot” pans, and the ice bath in ~food

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    I had a problem with this too. I felt like the author didn't have any good reasons as to why you "should not" do some of these things. I mean, his argument against zest was essentially "You could...

    Nothing wrong with a cold water rinse but why act like getting a bowl and filling it with ice water is an impossible task, and then use that as the basis to tell people not to do it?

    I had a problem with this too. I felt like the author didn't have any good reasons as to why you "should not" do some of these things. I mean, his argument against zest was essentially "You could use lemon juice instead, so don't bother." The author being unable to discern the difference between the two doesn't prove that they are equivalent.

    The closest thing to a real argument in here was his point about ripping hot pans. I've definitely set off many a smoke alarm while cooking, even when everything was under control and nothing was burning or being overcooked. That's not to say one should never cook that way, just that it can present challenges in a home kitchen.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on What's your SILLY unpopular opinion? in ~talk

    the_walrus
    Link Parent
    I'm not quite sure. This sounds like an intriguing point, but I'm not familiar enough with the gameplay of those games to comment.

    I'm not quite sure. This sounds like an intriguing point, but I'm not familiar enough with the gameplay of those games to comment.