thecardguy's recent activity
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Comment on What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next? in ~humanities
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Comment on Where are you on the spectrum of vacation planning? Detailed to the hour or floating like a leaf in the wind? in ~talk
thecardguy LinkI have to plan it down to the MINUTE (okay, hour). Otherwise... I'm not actually going to get anything accomplished. Basically, there's always a lot to do- specifically if I"m visiting one of the...I have to plan it down to the MINUTE (okay, hour). Otherwise... I'm not actually going to get anything accomplished.
Basically, there's always a lot to do- specifically if I"m visiting one of the Big Cities- and never enough time to do it all. But really, the worst offender for me is planning meals. I have a horrible habit of "eh, I'll eat whenever I get hungry and whatever's close". Well, this usually becomes "ok, I'm hungry, and I have no idea where to eat... Let's check Google maps... Wait, the nearest place to eat is either rather pricey or several miles away? Crap."
Or to phrase it another way: if I try to be spontaneous, I get overwhelmed and become very disorganized, ultimately accomplishing very little of my original intentions
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Comment on Online shopping - how convenient is it actually? in ~life.style
thecardguy Link ParentAh, you sorta caught me on one thing. I used Amazon as my example, but for one of my hobbies the big-name vendors are all online, and otherwise do various events in America... but unless you live...Ah, you sorta caught me on one thing.
I used Amazon as my example, but for one of my hobbies the big-name vendors are all online, and otherwise do various events in America... but unless you live near one of the places they do these events, it's much easier to just order online.
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Comment on Online shopping - how convenient is it actually? in ~life.style
thecardguy Link ParentLet me fully admit that these days I live in a larger city that has more stores, or at least it's not too terribly difficult for me to get to a large city that has the goods I often want. I say...Let me fully admit that these days I live in a larger city that has more stores, or at least it's not too terribly difficult for me to get to a large city that has the goods I often want.
I say this because I actually WILL check 5 or 6 different stores to find one item- so yes driving, parking, maybe gassing up along the way... those are things I will do to avoid ordering online.
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Comment on Online shopping - how convenient is it actually? in ~life.style
thecardguy Link ParentMy family used to say that one of my aunts was absolutely a shop-a-holic. But more than that, I watched perhaps one too many shows where you has a girl from a rich family, and she would buy random...My family used to say that one of my aunts was absolutely a shop-a-holic.
But more than that, I watched perhaps one too many shows where you has a girl from a rich family, and she would buy random shit because "Daddy's credit card"
There's a lot of ways that it's too easy to just put stuff on credit card and lose track of spending- that horrible behavior is arguably even encouraged. It's beyond the scope of this discussion, but that leads into credit scores and Americans being notorious for having a HUGE percentage of credit card debt. I've done my damnedest to avoid it.
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Comment on Online shopping - how convenient is it actually? in ~life.style
thecardguy Link ParentYou make a good point, and also another great argument for online shopping: the selection is much better. No physical limitations on what you can have on display (the old "check the back" line or...You make a good point, and also another great argument for online shopping: the selection is much better. No physical limitations on what you can have on display (the old "check the back" line or such)... and I admit that while I'll check to see what a store has in stock, if I REALLY want something and can't get it... yeah, I go online.
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Comment on Have you had a life-altering change in who you are? in ~talk
thecardguy LinkMine's nothing too crazy compared to most everyone else's, but I'll share anyways. When I was a teenager in high school, I had a certain dream... granted, the appeal of $$$$$$$$$$$ was a factor....Mine's nothing too crazy compared to most everyone else's, but I'll share anyways.
When I was a teenager in high school, I had a certain dream... granted, the appeal of $$$$$$$$$$$ was a factor. It was to be some sort of engineer, and by the time I was 25, I'd have a kid or two. Note that I was raised in a relatively conservative area, a very countryside area, and this was the early 2000's- about 2003, to be more specific.
Went off to college, and after struggling with math a ton- specifically Calculus (turns out I may have gone to shitty colleges)- being an engineer was out of my mind. But college was also when I was exposed to multiple cultures around the world, and I thought it was freakin' cool.
So I get through college, and I was hoping to NOT fall into the statistic of "your career is completely different from what you studied"... but to get a job in what I studied (geology, specifically), it required more training and more $$$$ to be spent... after I was already reeling from student loans, no good jobs where I lived, and then car payments and insurance. I was employed, but I HATED my hometown.
Now, for some reason, I REALLY wanted to see the Tokyo Olympics. Whether that was due to my love of anime in the first place (the Japan influence) or just wanting to be involved in an event that hundreds of thousands of other people (wanting to be part of something larger)... don't really know. I will admit that I was finding I had a certain preference for the kind of romantic partner I wanted about this time too... it ultimately boils down to, I was able to go to Japan as a tourist for 10 days. This was back in 2017.
THAT was my life-altering event. I went to some of the very touristy places in Japan, and it came down to two things: I knew I HAD to get out of my hometown, and that I fell in love with Japan, HARD.
One of the biggest issues that had been holding me back is I had gotten down to only a couple hundred dollars in my bank account. Meaning, that if I chose to move anywhere in the States, it would be a HUGE risk of moving... and then finding no way to get income- meaning being unable to pay rent or get groceries, etc. Meanwhile, my ticket to Japan meant that I would be hired by a company, and (at the time), making DOUBLE what I was back in my hometown. So after several failures... I found a way to move literally halfway around the world.
Now, let me be perfectly clear: it hasn't been a perfect life over here. The industry I'm in is starting to die with the rise of AI, and the salary has stagnated while everything else has increased. I also hoped that by my current age I'd have found a romantic partner... but this country has some things that aren't legal in America, and they've become a major vice of mine. I originally though that I'd be a family man back in America- my family is still in America, and I don't know how much longer my mother will be on this Earth with various health issues (my dad passed away many years ago)- and so many of the things that I thought would be my future have been completely changed.
Yet at the end of the day... I decided that I want to live as much of a hedonistic lifestyle as possible. Still try to be a good person... but life is short. So I want to enjoy it as much as I can before my own time expires, and no one can 100% tell you what happens after you die. Religions might try to do this, but religions are also based upon a time when humanity was at much smaller numbers, and they were trying to keep humanity from wiping itself out.
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Online shopping - how convenient is it actually?
Not really usre where to put this, so mods feel free to move it if you think that putting it under life.style is inappropriate. My original thought was more related to online cashless payments in...
Not really usre where to put this, so mods feel free to move it if you think that putting it under life.style is inappropriate.
My original thought was more related to online cashless payments in general- if you don't know, there's actually a way to donate directly to Tildes to help pay for server costs if you like this site enough. However, I've discovered that I don't like to often do any monetary transactions online- there's just something that's a pain in the butt about entering 19 digits online (16 for card number, then three more for the SVC).
But in the spirit of wanting an actual discussion... buying things online has been an option since I was a teenager, so we're talking about 20 years ago. You'll usually hear people and companies say "You can go shopping right from the comfort of your own home, there's so much to choose from, and if you choose the right option you can have it in just a day or two... just enter your credit card info and you're all set!". But for me personally, it's the last two that I take issue with.
You have the overall credit card issue- right now, I live in a country where cash is still king, even if it IS trying to catch up to other nations with cashless payments. For credit cards, besides entering the number being annoying, and then your address (billing and shipping, usually but not always the same place), it can be far too easy to spend way too much on credit card. Remember, many countries actively push the consumerist mindset, which is a MAJOR trap. And just to mention it- I do NOT trust any sites or devices to remember my card info. I'm VERY paranoid of being hacked- specifically talking about storing any info in something like Google Wallet/Pay/whatever it's called.
But then you have the other issue, and why even though you might get more selection online, I would still rather visit an actual storefront, even if it's an hour or so away. To put it simply- when the transaction is completed, I want to have the item in my possession. Buying online, you always run into the shipping (and handling) issue- Amazon is one of the fastest, and they still take at least two days. In the US, the issue has been made worse because of the post office situation. or in other words: you paid the money, now how long will it take to have the actual physical item? It's probably just a product of how I grew up, but I hate having to wait longer than a day after I've already given you my money.
So, people of Tildes, what about you- do you find online shopping to be extremely convenient, or do you have your own issues with buying things online?
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Comment on Why the short-lived Calvin and Hobbes is still one of the most beloved and influential comic strips in ~comics
thecardguy LinkThere are a few very interesting things about C&H. The first of which is, that it really did only last for a decade compared to other comic strips (the article itself points out that Garfield has...There are a few very interesting things about C&H. The first of which is, that it really did only last for a decade compared to other comic strips (the article itself points out that Garfield has been around for 45 years). Also, Bill Watterson never gave any approval for it to be adapted in any other form, though I understand he got offers.
But this is probably the most memorable bit and why C&H will live on... whether in a good light or in infamy. Again, going off that it never had any adaptations, and the only official merchandise is other a calendar at most... growing up in the late 90's and early 2000's, I saw a TON of pick-up trucks that had Calvin peeing on whatever the truck owner didn't like- anything from politicians to sports teams. Of course, that sticker is completely unofficial and is an edit of another actual panel. Bill Watterson himself has said that he laments that the sticker exists... but also acknowledges that it's how his comic will otherwise live on. For my own part, I thought it meant that Calvin was a very bad boy, and I already was reading other troublemaker comics at the time (Dennis the Menace, and on occasion Family Circus would have the kids being major PITAs), and I had no desire to read another comic about a kid being very naughty.
Only now that people are uploading the comics to various social media forms without changing the comic do I see that it's really just the antics of a six-year-old, and the ever-present question of "Is Hobbes real or just an over-active imagination at at work?"
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Comment on The best way to help bees? Don’t become a beekeeper like I did. in ~enviro
thecardguy Link ParentThat's probably what it amounts to- they build nests in very inconvenient (for humans) places, so my guess is you get too close to a hive without knowing it. I know I've done that a few times-...That's probably what it amounts to- they build nests in very inconvenient (for humans) places, so my guess is you get too close to a hive without knowing it. I know I've done that a few times- finding out where the hive is the hard (and very painful) way.
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Comment on The best way to help bees? Don’t become a beekeeper like I did. in ~enviro
thecardguy LinkHere's the one thing I wonder about: I get that planting flowers to attract bees is the better idea. And bees are excellent for the environment and pollination. That said, I have a MASSIVE fear of...Here's the one thing I wonder about:
I get that planting flowers to attract bees is the better idea. And bees are excellent for the environment and pollination. That said, I have a MASSIVE fear of bees- I'm not actually allergic, but bee stings hurt like hell and I do my damnedest to avoid that sort of pain.
Now, honeybees and bumblebees aren't so bad- usually you leave them alone, they leave you alone. It's the OTHER ones I'm worried about. To stay with actual bees- would planting flowers also attract Africanized honeybees (aka Killer Bees)? They're one of the reasons why I've never wanted to live in the southern USA (I'm originally from New York, and still leave in a relatively northern area). But I also worry about yellow jackets, wasps, and hornets (I realize yellow jackets are technically in one of those groups), because those guys sting you if you even just look in their direction- a bit of hyperbole, but they are mean and WILL sting you multiple times. So if planting flowers for native bees means you're also going to get nature's assholes... No thank you.
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Comment on How do you feel about student loan forgiveness? in ~life
thecardguy LinkI have... very mixed feelings about loan forgiveness. Like many, I was raised under "You pay back what you borrowed" mentality. But at the same time, I was given this analogy that I think is...I have... very mixed feelings about loan forgiveness.
Like many, I was raised under "You pay back what you borrowed" mentality. But at the same time, I was given this analogy that I think is better one than another comment has.
Let's say you have to undergo some VERY expensive surgery. So you go through it and now your life is going to be fine and you can continue on. You even pay it back, even though paying it back means you have to live a very conservative lifestyle and be very restricted in what you can do. Let's say no vacations, buying everything used, can't really get anything nice because you had to spend so much money for the surgery.
So a short amount of time goes by- say, a month or so for the purposes of this scenario- and you hear about others who need to get this same surgery... EXCEPT now it's free. So this procedure that you had to pay and give up so much for... anyone else now gets it without having to pay anything. Or to phrase it another way: everything you had to give up, they can experience. I feel like THIS is the core issue of it all: the classic "haves" vs "have-nots"
And then you have the other major issue. While I am grateful for the time I went to college and my experiences there... I fell into the "major completely unrelated to my career" statistic. Or to put it another way: if getting a degree is supposed to be an ROI, for all that I spent to go to college and take classes (more specifically, keep going to pass the classes)... most of that knowledge has gone unused. In fact, getting a degree feels like gambling sometimes: you get the degree to work in a field you're interested in... only to, for any number of various reasons, never use what you paid for. THAT feels like a scam. To get a bit personal, having a degree did allow me to meet a requirement for my current job, but the amount of effort I had to put in (I was a STEM major) feels like it was a waste of time and money due to the current path I'm on, because I'm not using any of what I learned in college.
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Comment on Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix 2024 - Results in ~sports.motorsports
thecardguy LinkI'm just starting to look into Formula 1, but when it comes across other social media feeds, I do often see the name "Max Verstappen". Is he arguably the best driver in Formula 1 currently?I'm just starting to look into Formula 1, but when it comes across other social media feeds, I do often see the name "Max Verstappen". Is he arguably the best driver in Formula 1 currently?
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Comment on Loneliness can kill, and new research shows middle-aged Americans are particularly vulnerable in ~science
thecardguy LinkThere are those who would deny it- and deny it VERY loudly- but humans are still social creatures at the end of the day. We need those human connections. Plus, there's been a study done on how...There are those who would deny it- and deny it VERY loudly- but humans are still social creatures at the end of the day. We need those human connections.
Plus, there's been a study done on how hearing a human voice affects you. With the Internet, you just read text on screen in many social media sites... and that takes away a very-much-needed human element. Of course, as was pointed out earlier in this thread: we've gotten so used to forming echo chambers, because those hit all the dopamine receptors. I would agree that we need to have people with opposing, or at least different, viewpoints within a social circle.
The real tragedy is the loss of the "third place"- somewhere not home or work where you can go and be social with other people, AND not have to pay for a business service. The closest I've come to this is going to meet-ups and hangout parties, though there is still an admission fee. Still, it's gained me a very close circle of friends.
I can think back to my childhood and all the places I would go to hangout. There's another kicker for you: when you have online things, you kill any physical places that you could've hung out with people. Malls are the easiest one to see, but I know of other places that have become a shadow of their former selves because they can barely make enough for overhead.
And again, the issue with suburbia: why meet others in your neighborhood who have differing views, when going online puts you in a comfortable echo chamber? You end up only existing in a place because it was affordable compared to where you REALLY want to live.
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Comment on Why do negative topics dominate social media sites, even here? in ~tech
thecardguy LinkYou ever hear the term "Yellow Journalism"? It basically meant using upsetting or outraging headlines so that people would buy and read the newspaper. Now replace "newspaper" with "internet...You ever hear the term "Yellow Journalism"? It basically meant using upsetting or outraging headlines so that people would buy and read the newspaper. Now replace "newspaper" with "internet article".
Or in other words: people clicking a link is what generates the most revenue for media companies. I don't know how true it is for Tildes, but on other social media sites, the users want TONS of clicks for their articles... and what better way than to post negative stuff? Basically, it's an old tactic that WORKS due to how human brains are wired. he only thing that has changed is the medium via which it's delivered.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
thecardguy LinkLet me give you a few of my answers- I will not guarantee any results, but there are days when I go down this path and ask a lot of questions myself. These are what I've discovered along the way....Let me give you a few of my answers- I will not guarantee any results, but there are days when I go down this path and ask a lot of questions myself. These are what I've discovered along the way.
First, blink your eyes once. Guess what? That's how long humanity has existed (so far) in the grand scheme of existence. Now I get to go into the scientific part of all this: the universe has existed for 13 BILLION YEARS- and earth about 4.6 billion, I believe. Humanity has existed for somewhere around 10,000 years or so- far less than even one million years. It starts to look like humanity's existence is, in fact, and accident. Perhaps even life itself is an accident. Yet if we go into the physics side of things... everything is about energy and entropy. Energy can merely be used and changed. So given several BILLION years of this energy swirling, colliding, and being used... eventually life is going to be created.
But to now go to the nihilist part: if in the end, nothing humanity does is even going to matter (our monuments destroyed and even our very planet swallowed up by the Sun), then why? Why do we do anything? Unless you're at a point where you think taking your own life is the only solution (which I DO NOT suggest), I think the answer is simply... because we can. Or more accurately, we do that which gives meaning to our life. This is something you have to find on your own. Otherwise, try this: go sit in an empty room. Just four walls, ceiling, floor, light and a door. Chair is optional. Just sit there and do nothing. You could always just decide to stay there and waste away until you're nothing but a corpse, from hunger or whatever else might kill you. But there's a high chance that you're not going to be able to just stay there for longer than a couple hours. You might fall asleep, but then when you wake up... would you continue to just stay in the room? I would say, you'd get bored. You get an urge to do SOMETHING with your life.
And I think this is what it all ultimately comes down to. I watched an old TV show, and the main character had this kind of revelation: "I can't save the world. But I CAN help those who are in my own life, who are precious to me. Even though that's the extent of my power, it's what I can do, and so I'm going to do it".
As the globalization of the world continues, it's easy to ask "What's the point if I'm just one person in a world of 8 BILLION people?" Well, ignore those 8 billion others. Ignore anyone who isn't at least tangentially in your life. I sometimes think that we've become TOO connected- that humans were only ever meant to keep a small village of about 100 or so in their lives. You can't help the world, but maybe you CAN do something for those 100 people you truly care about.
And let me get REALLY specific: I have a job and a hobby that give me joy, because it means through these, I can help and affect other people. Maybe only small groups at a time, but that's the kind of purpose I have.
Again, these are only what i have personally found. I hope maybe you can take at least one positive thing away from this, but what works for me may not work for you.
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Comment on "I watched fifteen hours of COVID origins arguments so you don't have to" in ~health
thecardguy Link ParentProbably the biggest reason why no one would try that line is because that already implicitly answers the question of its origin- that it already existed before it was in the lab. And its origin...Probably the biggest reason why no one would try that line is because that already implicitly answers the question of its origin- that it already existed before it was in the lab. And its origin is the focus of the debate. Plus, I would add that if we went down that route, it's highly unlikely the lab would've had the only existing sample of it- while probably not 100% impossible, isolating it so that it exists only in the lab after coming from the natural world seems very, very difficult to do.
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Comment on "I watched fifteen hours of COVID origins arguments so you don't have to" in ~health
thecardguy LinkThe strongest reason I have for believing that Covid-19 was a zoonosis event is basically covered in the debate, but I'll quickly paraphrase it: when something is man-made like this, there are...The strongest reason I have for believing that Covid-19 was a zoonosis event is basically covered in the debate, but I'll quickly paraphrase it: when something is man-made like this, there are tell-tale markers. No such markers were found in the original Covid strains (Note that I am NOT a microbiologist, but I did read a lot of that during the various debates online, and it's believable because I do have a scientific background).
In addition... if it were a lab leak, who would've benefited? We saw how many people died during the height of the pandemic, and while obviously the Chinese gov't would want to silence any fault as much as possible- or more accurately, possibly try to keep any "We're sorry, we majorly fucked up the world" apologies hidden- it seems like the scale on which this happened should be too much for just one country to cover up. Rather, it seems to me like most of the "The Chinese are to blame for unleashing this!" talk comes from the Western hemisphere, where resentment for the Chinese gov't is already strong and this would just be a further way to blame China for something.
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Comment on "PS5 has no games" in ~games
thecardguy LinkI expect a lot of the complaining comes from those us us who were brought up during the "console wars" era- the days of trash-talking other systems and saying the one you had was better because...I expect a lot of the complaining comes from those us us who were brought up during the "console wars" era- the days of trash-talking other systems and saying the one you had was better because "xyz game is better". And because at that time you could generally only afford one console... well, you would go for the one that had the best games.
But now that you have so many games that are cross-platform... well, that means you lose bragging rights. Which was the whole original point of exclusive games- the bragging rights.
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Comment on Positive (personal) news discussion? in ~talk
thecardguy LinkPeople prefer to celebrate the Big Wins, but I find that small victory after small victory helps. The first thing is, my job has the potential to change every year based on contract conditions. To...People prefer to celebrate the Big Wins, but I find that small victory after small victory helps.
The first thing is, my job has the potential to change every year based on contract conditions. To the best of my knowledge, I'll be keeping the same job for this year, and also finally getting to do some more stuff I've wanted to for years.
Also, I've been taken into the confidence of someone who finds out all the stuff happening behind the scenes of this company. Eventually news does filter down, but this guy has already said that he's willing to pass on the info he has direct access should I ask.
Oh, and while I still have more organization and cleaning to do, I finally have my apartment in a configuration (of furniture) that I've VERY happy with.
Call me jaded, but after seeing what older people who've been in power for a while are doing... I'm going to say this is overall a Very Bad Idea.
Something I've been wondering about lately is just how much we've actually cursed ourselves with modern medicine. Granted that it was a kids' movie from the 70's, but the short version is that the way a town got rid of a bunch of terrible people was simply... by waiting for them to die off. Well, people are living longer then ever before now. And maybe that's NOT actually a good thing. Or as the old song goes, "the good die young"
It actually reminds me of a story I read in school. The way the story goes, a woman was granted one wish, so she wished that she had a magic tree which anyone who climbed into it would not be able to get down without her permission- I think the idea of to prevent thievery? Either way, she got old and Death (personified) came for her. She tricked Death into climbing the tree... and without Death, things actually got progressively WORSE around the world. It ends with her becoming more or less immortal by making a deal with Death, but my takeaway has always been that as sad as it is... people are supposed to die so that society can continue.