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InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)EM
Posts 8
Comments 59
what is that one thing that pisses you off but you hate to admit it?
  • I remember going on a trip when I was younger, and my (also young) friend was driving. At one point we got onto a stretch of highway and he met speed with a slow or speed limit vehicle like that, kept going for miles.

    I don't remember what prompted it, maybe an aggressive driver we encountered somewhere and were able to block in, maybe just because it'd be funny. But I do remember he'd tell that story for years, and we'd laugh about traffic being backed up further than we could see. Looking back, such a jerk move. I didn't argue against it at the time, but now I'm half surprised we didn't get a ticket. It's kind of a safety hazard.

    Come to think of it, that was around 15 years ago. >.>

  • What's the quickest way to learn Spanish?
  • To tack on - if you're still pretty early, beginner textbook style lessons will be the most helpful at the start. If your main goal is to communicate with folks in a the short term, memorize set phrases and common verbs (along w/ basic conjugation rules).

    It's surprising how much you can get by with when you have limited vocab and speed, but know how to ask someone clarifying questions or ask if they can slow it down.

  • What's the quickest way to learn Spanish?
  • Picking up a 2nd (or more) language is just going to be hard. There's not a magic shortcut, or anything you can buy or course to take that will make you fluent in a month.

    That out of the way, there are lots of resources out there!

    Look up comprehensible input channels on YouTube (eg, Dreaming Spanish). You can find something at your level, even down to the point where they'll mostly point at pictures and say words. Eventually add in things like cartoons, news, podcasts, or social media when you feel up to it.

    There's debate about whether you need anything besides input. I'm partial to a mixed approach, so I'd say get a good textbook too.

    Anki is great for vocab flashcards (but you'll have to find decks, which can be annoying). Apps like Duolingo can be a good supplement too.

    Make a habit through the day or thinking about how to say things in Spanish. Repeat your sentences in your head, or think about what the Spanish version would be of signs you see.

    It's just a long term goal though, to get anywhere meaningful. Engage with your target language every day.

  • For Bluer Skies: Bluesky as a Viable Alternative to X
  • Yes. Having centralized ownership (to whatever extent) is a concern for sure, but it's a hypothetical concern in and of itself: "what if the leadership does bad things?" Is different from "the leadership is currently doing bad things."

    Decentralization helps. But if the networks effects aren't behind it, jumping from platform to platform when things DO get bad is also viable.

  • www.start.gg Don't Park on the Grass 2024

    The best place for Don't Park on the Grass 2024 brackets, streams, standings and schedules all in one place!

    Don't Park on the Grass 2024
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    What are the best games on F-Droid?
  • I didn't really think so, but to each their own! I like the progression from not being able to afford much, up to maxing out upgrades on each tower.

    There's a speed multiplier to cut back on the waiting around. I mostly leave it around 8x speed so it's a little faster paced.

  • What are the best games on F-Droid?
  • I think Anuto TD (a tower defense game) is the best I've come across.

    I also really like Gauguin (Sudoku-esque) and Lexica (word game) on the more casual side.

    Don't know that it's on F-Droid, but Lichess is also high quality and open source.

  • Why on gods green earth do people buy gift cards?
  • Yep, that's the right train of thought.

    I used to also dislike them, due to their limitations vs cash. But eventually realized that I liked having the excuse to go out of town to a fancy restaurant, or splurge on games I might otherwise decide I don't need right now.

    Strictly speaking, cash is better, yes. But gift cards can influence people to do things that might make them happier than typical rational or habitual decisions.

  • I am surprised that product recommendations are not better
  • Yeah, it's such a shame. This should be the silver lining of ubiquitous data harvesting.

    The problem is that they aren't really serving individual consumers - the main customer for these big attention merchants is other businesses. Amazon and Steam et al could focus more on helping you surface great products you love, but they undercut that by helping sellers get visibility they want (almost regardless of product quality).

    It's certainly not simple still. They're not incentivized fully to serve your interest, and even if smaller companies are, it's hard.

  • What's a good learning/study music album you would recommend?
  • I think this is a really good answer. Just search for a focus playlist on whatever platform and let it run.

    If I'm picking out music more specific, I find myself thinking about that, and what it's like, and if it's helping, and maybe I should hey this other album or artist.

    Don't let picking the music distract too much from focusing on what you want to do.

  • Monster Hunter Wilds - Release Date Reveal Trailer | PS5 Games
  • I get this. Loved Tri and Freedom Unite, played a decent amount of 4, some of World, and barely started Rise.

    They're always exciting, and I don't dislike any of the games, but it's just a lot to get going, really invest the time, and get the value out of these.

  • What's a handy terminal command you use often?
  • There's a whole bunch of cool modern replacements. Here's a handy list: altbox.dev

    I personally use bat and rg all the time, and find them much more suitable for everyday tasks.

    Edit: And to clarify, I didn't create either list, they're just ones I'd bookmarked at some point.

  • Why some open world video games of the late 2010s and early 2020s have been considered "Breath of the Wild clones"?
  • I feel like "See that mountain? You can go there." was already a cliche when the game came out. [Though I have no citation to prove it.]

    BotW really delivered on it though, with everything being climbable as the rule rather than the exception.

  • Google pulls the plug on uBlock Origin, leaving over 30 million Chrome users susceptible to intrusive ads
  • And I mean, there's still time now. Switching browsers isn't that bad. Export+import some bookmarks and adjust some settings, good to go.

    I think FF has been a good option for a while. But the second best time is now. I can totally get it if people didn't want to switch until they had more of a concrete problem.

  • Nintendo Direct announced for June 18 at 7 AM PT

    www.resetera.com Nintendo Direct Announced - June 18th, 2024 @ 7AM PT/10AM ET | 40 Mins, Focusing on titles coming in 2024, No Switch Succ (Happy early B-Day to me!) News - Nintendo

    https://x.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1802702745276662114 For context, I'm a Juneteenth baby. But it makes sense that Nintendo wouldn't do a Direct on what's now considered a national holiday. That said, if Nintendo's reading this, I'll gladly accept a new Rhythm Heaven game as my early birthday...

    Nintendo Direct Announced - June 18th, 2024 @ 7AM PT/10AM ET | 40 Mins, Focusing on titles coming in 2024, No Switch Succ (Happy early B-Day to me!) News - Nintendo

    "Join us for a #NintendoDirect livestream focused on #NintendoSwitch games coming in the second half of 2024! There will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during this presentation."

    Set to be roughly 40 minutes long.

    13

    Nintendo Direct announced for June 18 at 7 AM PT

    www.resetera.com Nintendo Direct Announced - June 18th, 2024 @ 7AM PT/10AM ET | 40 Mins, Focusing on titles coming in 2024, No Switch Succ (Happy early B-Day to me!) News - Nintendo

    https://x.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1802702745276662114 For context, I'm a Juneteenth baby. But it makes sense that Nintendo wouldn't do a Direct on what's now considered a national holiday. That said, if Nintendo's reading this, I'll gladly accept a new Rhythm Heaven game as my early birthday...

    Nintendo Direct Announced - June 18th, 2024 @ 7AM PT/10AM ET | 40 Mins, Focusing on titles coming in 2024, No Switch Succ (Happy early B-Day to me!) News - Nintendo

    "Join us for a #NintendoDirect livestream focused on #NintendoSwitch games coming in the second half of 2024! There will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during this presentation."

    Set to be roughly 40 minutes long.

    33

    Genesis X - Feb 16th-18th, 2024

    The next installment of the Genesis series is taking place over the next few days.

    Startgg page: https://www.start.gg/tournament/genesis-x/details

    Official website: https://genesis.gg/

    Liquipedia: https://liquipedia.net/smash/GENESIS/X

    Primary stream channel: https://www.twitch.tv/genesisgg

    Event schedule: here

    Stream schedule: here

    Melee entrants - 1544, including:

    • Cody Schwab
    • Zain
    • Jmook
    • Moky
    • Leffen
    • Mango
    • aMSa
    • Hungrybox
    • Wizzrobe
    • and many more

    Ultimate entrants - 1505, including:

    • Sonix
    • Miya
    • Sparg0
    • Tweek
    • Glutonny
    • Ken
    • Shuton
    • Light
    • MkLeo
    • and many more

    In addition to the obvious 2 games, several other events will be featured as main titles:

    • Rivals of Aether (plus a Rivals 2 bracket)
    • Street Fighter 6
    • Tekken 8
    • GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising
    • Guilty Gear -Strive-
    • Under Night In-Birth II
    • Splatoon 3
    • Nick All-Star Brawl 2

    A handful of other games will be holding side events, most notably including Smash 64 and Brawl.

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    SSBMRank 2023

    0

    Zain and Cody to play exhibition for 2023 top SSBM rank on Dec 15th

    0

    MIT OpenCourseWare Japanese course outlines

    I've been aware of OCW for a while now, but only recently realized they had Japanese course materials (not many videos, mostly just outlines and some simple exercises).

    They follow the traditional Genki I > Genki II > Tobira path, though their Tobira coverage is just Kanji afaik.

    It's nothing mindblowing, really for the most part the courses are just "read the chapter, now do all the practice and workbook pages over the next week or two, repeat".

    Still, I find it kind of useful (if you already have the book) to start from their schedules. It gives a jumping off point for planning out my own self-study.

    Combining the textbook/workbook, along with MIT's schedules and exercises, and ToKiniAndy videos to take the place of lectures, feels pretty similar to a class (though obv not quite the same).

    Links to individual bits of course content:

    Kana

    Japanese I (Genki I 1-6 schedule, drills)

    Japanese II (Genki I 7-12 schedule, drills)

    Japanese III (Genki II 13-18 schedule, drills)

    Japanese IV (Genki II 19-23 schedule, drills)

    Japanese V (Kanji learning with Tobira 1-5) (videos)

    Japanese VI (Kanji learning with Tobira 6-10) (videos)

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    Got my copy of the Smash doc

    Reward from backing the original project. Good to have the collection complete. Re-watch (and a first watch of Metagame) might be in order.

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