userexec's recent activity
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
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Comment on People who manage small websites, how much does it cost you in time (and finances)? in ~comp
userexec Link ParentDitto on hosting my blog on DigitalOcean. The $5/month tier was enough for me since that's all it's doing, so $60/year in hosting plus $15/year in domain registration.Ditto on hosting my blog on DigitalOcean. The $5/month tier was enough for me since that's all it's doing, so $60/year in hosting plus $15/year in domain registration.
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Comment on What's the big deal about running a half marathon? in ~life
userexec Link ParentI'd just like to add to this that the level of a partner's needs in this area does vary from person to person. It sounds like OP and their partner have different needs regarding the level of...I'd just like to add to this that the level of a partner's needs in this area does vary from person to person. It sounds like OP and their partner have different needs regarding the level of involvement and enthusiasm from their partner around their personal efforts. While OP may see their own personal efforts as exclusively personal and not requiring the involvement/approval/participation of their partner, it sounds like this view may not be shared. Really I get the impression that there are two extremes on this spectrum going on here.
My partner and I certainly respect each other's personal goals and the efforts we put into our non-shared hobbies, but I wouldn't say either of us requires or even desires involvement or enthusiasm from each other about those. We give each other the space to pursue things and respect the efforts, and we've always been perfectly happy with that arrangement.
To give an example, I've spent years studying Japanese and spend every night before bed in the recliner translating. She has no interest in Japanese, nor would I expect her to. We have shared hobbies, but this isn't one of them. I don't need a cookie from her every time I finish an article, and I don't expect her to enthusiastically tell her friends about my latest progress. She's not into it and that's okay--I don't need someone to validate my intrinsic motivations before I can pursue them; I only require a partner who at least respects the act of pursuit generally. I may tell her about a funny word or something, but I would never badger her to learn with me or seek praise about it, nor would she get gloomy because I'm pouring effort into something that doesn't interest her.
Different people are different, though. I wouldn't say our way of looking at it is the right way--only that it's the right way for us because it's a match. Since it may not be a match in this post's case, though, I agree with you that there's some introspection to be done here.
I'd stop short of saying OP is the odd one out here, though: I think their view on this is, if anything, the more common one (and not even as extreme as it usually presents) and people just refuse to see it in themselves. I've been in several relationships where my partner's views on my personal hobbies and efforts were downright discouraging because it wasn't an interest they shared so they didn't "get it" and had no respect for it, but I was expected to be enthusiastic about and supportive of everything they did. Needless to say, that imbalance didn't work out.
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Comment on Via: Solving the 100 GB problem in ~games
userexec LinkVery cool! My only concern here is actually illustrated perfectly by his choice of game in the video. Halo Infinite already has a long section of match loading where you wait forever on an "other...Very cool! My only concern here is actually illustrated perfectly by his choice of game in the video. Halo Infinite already has a long section of match loading where you wait forever on an "other players loading" bar. What happens when half the players are using this and you constantly get stuck in a queue with some rando still running a 28k modem and loading this map for the first time? It seems like it would degrade the multiplayer experience by forcing everyone who already has the game downloaded to wait for anyone who didn't. In most games this wouldn't be a problem I suppose, and it solves itself on an individual level over time at least, but I imagine online matchmaking would run into a whole lot more timeouts and need to refill queues a lot more often.
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Comment on How native English speakers can stop confusing everyone else in ~humanities.languages
userexec Link ParentI can confirm that while my electronic dictionary has the English meaning in question, it has no suggestions or example sentences for how that would be translated in Japanese. I’d be stuck either...I can confirm that while my electronic dictionary has the English meaning in question, it has no suggestions or example sentences for how that would be translated in Japanese. I’d be stuck either using miitoboru or getting descriptive about the specific type of meatball, both of which would lose meaning. It does suggest ひえー驚いた for “bugger me,” though, and that’s kind of amusing that there’s an entry for that.
Edit: Now I’m just laughing that Google Translate comes back with 私をブッガー!
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Comment on How native English speakers can stop confusing everyone else in ~humanities.languages
userexec Link ParentIdioms and set phrases can make translation to other languages tough. I've found having a dictionary of idioms is essential once you start translating articles and such. Even just common...Idioms and set phrases can make translation to other languages tough. I've found having a dictionary of idioms is essential once you start translating articles and such. Even just common collocations like "burnt down" or "under arrest" send me to the dictionary because they're not things you'd literally translate, and it would sound wacky if you did. Thankfully I picked Japanese to learn, and for all it's insane learning curve, one thing it does have is a gigantic market of remarkably advanced, pocketable electronic dictionaries that make looking those up a cinch.
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Comment on US Senator calls for Department of Justice action against Philips for keeping CPAP machine complaints secret in ~health
userexec LinkI put my information in for the recall over 2 years ago now and still haven't received a replacement machine. There is no meaningful support for the process whatsoever. Any calls get redirected to...I put my information in for the recall over 2 years ago now and still haven't received a replacement machine. There is no meaningful support for the process whatsoever. Any calls get redirected to a call center that can only see the same information you can already see when you look up your recall confirmation number.
I bought my machine outright instead of going through a medical supplier. The recall process confirmed it was covered and would be remediated. Once I even got through to someone on the phone who gave me an email and a fax number to submit my prescription so they could get it out of the step where they try to associate your device with a medical supplier. I sent it both ways and never heard anything again.
At some point earlier in the process I was given the option of them buying out my machine or just continuing to wait for a new one. They offered me like $40. That's about enough to buy a nose piece replacement and a 2-pack of filters, not a whole machine. And since then machines have doubled or tripled in price.
At this point I highly doubt they'll ever actually complete the recall. Every now and then I get an email from them that they may still need information from me, and it links me to their portal, but I've already provided everything and there's nothing I can actually do in the portal.
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Comment on People who turn off their electronics hours before bed... What do you do at night? in ~talk
userexec LinkI do read but since that's already been said a bunch, here's another idea: I have a stack of articles printed off that I like to translate. I keep a small battery-powered thermal typewriter by the...- Exemplary
I do read but since that's already been said a bunch, here's another idea: I have a stack of articles printed off that I like to translate. I keep a small battery-powered thermal typewriter by the recliner, and I'll just grab articles off the stack and type up translations until I'm too sleepy to continue.
I use a Sharp PA-1050 for translating to English since it's whisper quiet, small, and easy to use. It has a modest two-line calculator screen for editing, and a 6000-character memory so you can do a whole article in memory and then just print it off after proofreading. I'm going to try upgrading to a slightly larger but still quite similar Casiowriter HW-800JS soon so I can also do some translations into Japanese.
Either way, it's a quiet, slow hobby that finishes out the day with a puzzle and doesn't require any lit screens. The typewriter part of it is just a personal fascination, and it could just as easily be done with a pencil.
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Comment on Are the memes about setting up and troubleshooting printers overblown nowadays? in ~tech
userexec LinkSo an anecdote from my somewhat weird setup where I use a 30-year old HP LaserJet 4 behemoth still: It's never been easier to set up old, common printers. On Linux I didn't even set it up. I just...So an anecdote from my somewhat weird setup where I use a 30-year old HP LaserJet 4 behemoth still: It's never been easier to set up old, common printers. On Linux I didn't even set it up. I just plugged in the power and ethernet and by the time I walked back over to my computer it was already good to go. On Windows I just had to tell it "Hey I got a printer" and it handled the rest no sweat. There's no dumb software, no DRM, no intentionally sabotaged ink situation--just a printer so old and so standard that everything immediately knows how to use it.
Amazingly it still works and prints great with 300k+ sheets on the clock. You can still get full refurbishing kits for them (which I did for when the time comes), and toner is cheap and easy to find.
I guess if I wanted super fast color or photo printing I'd be out of luck, but just to have a basic workhorse I found printer setup in this century to be exceedingly simple.
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Comment on We're all living on r/MadeMeSmile's Internet Now in ~tech
userexec Link ParentOh wow did that dredge up some memories. Guilty as charged. I used to be a moderator on a reasonably active IRC server back in the day and would need to remind people to take certain stuff into...It's how I developed the adage that the more strident and inane the age verification process, the greater certainty the admins are underage.
Oh wow did that dredge up some memories. Guilty as charged. I used to be a moderator on a reasonably active IRC server back in the day and would need to remind people to take certain stuff into the adult channels, of which there were more than a few. I was still in middle school lol.
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Comment on Google gets its way, bakes a user-tracking ad platform directly into Chrome in ~tech
userexec Link ParentOr if you're a heretic like me, Dustman. It just closes any tab you haven't looked at in a while (you can get it back if it was important, and pinned tabs are exempt). Fact is, if I haven't looked...Or if you're a heretic like me, Dustman. It just closes any tab you haven't looked at in a while (you can get it back if it was important, and pinned tabs are exempt). Fact is, if I haven't looked at a tab in 20 minutes, it probably wasn't that important, and I'm fine with a timer making that call for me. As a result, I don't even think about tabs--I just open them when I need, do the tasks I need, and let the browser clean up after me. If it closes something that I actually wanted to come back to, I'll occasionally go into its closed list and pull a tab back out, but it's pretty rare.
Fully aware that's not for everyone, and that most people would consider that a downright horrifying way to manage tabs.
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Comment on Taylor Swift concert film will bring Eras Tour to America’s movie theaters in October in ~movies
userexec Link ParentI got lucky enough to see one in person, though the seats were off to the side. I'll probably see this just to get closer views from choice angles with easy access to popcorn.I got lucky enough to see one in person, though the seats were off to the side. I'll probably see this just to get closer views from choice angles with easy access to popcorn.
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Comment on iPhone 14, 14 Pro owners complain about battery capacity that’s already falling off in ~tech
userexec Link Parent100% club, though I only got my 13 back in March. Default charging settings and I just plug it into a cable every night.100% club, though I only got my 13 back in March. Default charging settings and I just plug it into a cable every night.
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Comment on The Reddit protest is finally over. Reddit won. in ~tech
userexec Link ParentRight there with you. I deleted everything and haven't looked back, and it's been great honestly. Reminds me of when I quit Facebook after having been with them since it was still exclusively for...Right there with you. I deleted everything and haven't looked back, and it's been great honestly. Reminds me of when I quit Facebook after having been with them since it was still exclusively for college students. Occasionally I get an itch to have something more to read, but it no longer results in an hour of endless scrolling, hot takes for fake internet points, and superficial engagement with mostly meaningless content. I've reclaimed that time for better uses. Wish I'd done it years ago.
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Comment on Starter tool set for someone starting out in ~life.home_improvement
userexec Link ParentI avoid the cheap single-sensor stud finders, but the multi-sensor ones tend to be extremely useful since they can show you the width of the stud so you can estimate where center is even if...I avoid the cheap single-sensor stud finders, but the multi-sensor ones tend to be extremely useful since they can show you the width of the stud so you can estimate where center is even if there's not a screw around.
I also really like having AC detection built-in so that it goes crazy if you're within a foot or two of a live wire. Ideally these should have metal plates hammered into the stud in front of them, but you can rarely count on that.
These still don't stop you from drilling into water and drainage pipes, but they can be super useful to always be centered and never drill into a powered wire. This isn't the exact model I have, but something like this is an invaluable tool if you're routinely hanging mirrors, cabinets, shelving, etc.
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Comment on How do you build lasting habits? in ~life
userexec LinkI use a device dedicated to it. My phone is far too filled with work stuff and random email notifications and apps trying to ping me about stuff. Even with notifications reasonably well-managed,...I use a device dedicated to it. My phone is far too filled with work stuff and random email notifications and apps trying to ping me about stuff. Even with notifications reasonably well-managed, there's just too many things from too many areas of my life there, and habit-building goals are too easy to push off as less important than a new work email--suddenly I'm in Outlook instead of checking off my habit tasks.
Anything that I want to build as a habit I just track in a separate old Outlook instance or Excel sheets that I sync to an ancient PDA. That PDA only tracks stuff like my exercise, points of data on my health, cleaning routine, when I need to be taking the trash to the curb, when filters need to be replaced around the house, etc. I pick up that device and it gives me a comprehensive list of everything I need to do that day regarding my home life and habits I'm trying to build, and nothing else.
Could a phone do it? Sure. Is remembering to pick up a PDA any different from remembering to check a specific phone app? Probably not. But it works for my brain so that's what I go with.
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Comment on UK vendors started boycotting the Etsy platform over its payment reserves system in ~finance
userexec LinkI used to run a keycap shop on Etsy making resin keycaps with little cherry blossom branches and coffee beans and stuff in them. It was growing nicely to the point where I was renting a small...I used to run a keycap shop on Etsy making resin keycaps with little cherry blossom branches and coffee beans and stuff in them. It was growing nicely to the point where I was renting a small building for it and making as much doing casting on weekends as I was at my day job. I used their automatic advertisement system to push some of the proceeds back into ads and it seemed to have a quite viable return to it.
They then made some changes to the advertisement and search algorithms. Orders crashed from like 10-20 per day to 1 or 2 overnight. For the next six months or so I just lost money until I could finally close the place up. Luckily I was pretty tired of it anyway by then so the timing did work out, but it was crazy seeing just how drastically my shop's viability went from awesome to completely unmaintainable in the blink of an eye.
I haven't shopped there since, but it was already filling up with obvious Amazon and Alibaba dropshippers and retail products. I can only imagine that by now handmade goods are few and far between, especially if they're holding reserves like this.
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Comment on Where can I find translated Japanese light novels? in ~books
userexec LinkJust to add onto the other options and since I haven't seen it mentioned yet, Kinokuniya often has English light novels available as well.Just to add onto the other options and since I haven't seen it mentioned yet, Kinokuniya often has English light novels available as well.
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Comment on From Zero to Nix in ~comp
userexec LinkI just learned about Nix reading Tildes today and wasn't really grasping why I would use it when my small team already deploys projects with Docker. This article really helped to clear that up for...I just learned about Nix reading Tildes today and wasn't really grasping why I would use it when my small team already deploys projects with Docker. This article really helped to clear that up for me.
I'm not sure I'll end up learning it since it solves a problem we've never really had. Our stuff isn't too pinned to specific versions of anything under it and has few dependencies to begin with. I can definitely see the benefit, though, and I may start using it anyway just to have what appears to be a pretty painless way of running multiple versions of non-work stuff on my machine without having to worry about crap colliding.
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Comment on I filed a complaint against Amazon to the US Federal Trade Commission in ~tech
userexec Link ParentI do the same thing. I used to use Amazon a lot but finally got too turned off by some of their scummy practices and how they treat their employees. The whole place just sounded like different...I do the same thing. I used to use Amazon a lot but finally got too turned off by some of their scummy practices and how they treat their employees. The whole place just sounded like different kinds of dystopian hell at every level. Canceled my Prime a few years ago and never looked back.
I occasionally wait longer for shipping now, but in the grand scale of things 3-5 days is basically no different from 2 for most consumer purchases, and that's assuming 2-day shipping actually takes 2 days. I've noticed some big box retailers are even realizing they already have fully functional delivery chains right up to the last mile, and they can put someone in a car same as any pizza place. I ordered some furnace and water filters from Home Depot yesterday evening and they were already on my porch this morning with no box or packing material needed. Ultimately for online purchases I've found that I'm just not in that much of a rush anymore to get things, though, and I don't care if it takes a week because I've adjusted my expectations.
All Amazon gets used for anymore is looking up model numbers and ISBNs and stuff (with ad and tracker blockers running). At the local bookshop they can order anything, and it makes it handy for them to look it up if I just pull up the Amazon page for what I want.
I bought a 1987 Honda Civic wagon last week off some guy for $1000 and have had it up on stands in the garage fixing its many issues. It seemed like junk to him because it made horrible sounds while driving and practically nothing worked right on it, but actually it's practically rust-free and the engine has good compression.
It has 157k miles on the odometer, but also a dinghy tow kit and damage on its bumper that looks like it got melted from exhaust, so I'm betting a lot of those miles are just from being pulled around on four wheels by an RV. The exterior has a few dings but is overall pretty good, and the interior looks like it's hardly been sat in. Apart from one gouge on the dash it's practically brand new in there.
The big issue is it had watery gas in the gas tank and got very rotten in there. It couldn't run for long because it would choke on rust in the tank. I've sent the tank off for cleaning and re-lining. Next, it was dumping a ton of fuel into its engine oil, which is likely just the mechanical fuel pump up on the distributor shaft having a leaky diaphragm. I've swapped that out and changed all the lines and filters. Then it had a really loud CV joint and the brakes had a terrible grinding sound, but still worked well. Waiting for new half shafts, pads, and rotors now. I've been going around cleaning electrical connections since many of those are corroded from many years of sitting, but everything's come right back to life once the connections are cleaned.
I expect it will be a very nice little car with tons of life left in it once its issues are addressed. It's very tiny compared to most things on the road today and only weighs a hair over 2000lbs, but should get upper 30s in gas mileage. I've always wanted a kei car but one wouldn't be all that useful where I live since there are stretches of road at 70mph to get to the places I need to go. This thing isn't much bigger than a kei car and has all that same charm, but should happily do 70. Plus the insurance is a joke at $6/month.