Cracks_InTheWalls

joined 2 years ago
[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 3 points 23 hours ago

adds to 'Things to do on your last day to burn all bridges if you magically come into wealth' wish list

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 3 points 2 days ago

Something to think about, though of course do whatever makes the most sense for your circumstances: what's better - maintaining your current pace of work, without meaningful breaks, in a way that only further pushes you into burnout and risks impacting job performance to the point you could be let go for cause. Or, using your PTO, which is part of your compensation package, to take breaks and at least try to get some downtime to mitigate burnout, which generally has a positive impact on job performance and with that reduces the probability of being let go with cause?

Not going to lie and say you couldn't get blindsided and screwed either way, but with very few exceptions I always think not taking your PTO is a mistake.

Will acknowledge I don't know your circumstances and don't mean any offense. If what you're doing makes sense from a long-term survival perspective, then do what makes sense.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 3 points 2 days ago

The issue is, what is the immediate alternative? You can simplify your life to minimize the amount of resources needed, you can find work that feels pleasant/meaningful enough that it doesn't always feel like a slog, you can have other people subsidize your lifestyle by working themselves (cool if said people are cool with it/there's some mutually beneficial exchange - usually involving domestic work, which is still work -, not cool if it's pure leeching). But ultimately, unless you come from wealth, either you or someone working for your benefit needs to work to get resources needed for living.

It doesn't have to be this way forever, but this is reality right now. Heck, this isn't even unique to capitalism - even in a socialist society, people still need to work, they just (theoretically) gain more of the benefits of that labour than in capitalist societies.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Leaning into this will probably garner attention from the right sort of women for you. The ones attracted to "traditional masculinity" (which is kind of a trap in some respects anyway) probably wouldn't be attracted to you sexually in the first place, based on what you describe here. So you don't really lose anything by what you plan to do. Go for it!

And if anyone gives you guff about it, tell them to fuck off (or whatever response appropriate to your vibe, but carrying a similar message, works best).

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 14 points 3 days ago (2 children)

What I've found even more fascinating is, particularly in earlier iterations of the technology, visual effects produced were remarkably similar to visual distortions people experience with certain drugs.

Easy to make a lot out of this where it's not warranted, but at minimum it gives some interesting food for thought re: how visual processing works. Have seen people write about this, but am too dumb to actually understand.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Good choices so far! A few other ideas:

-Museum of Science and Tech is an obvious kid-favourite.

-One I don't see mentioned as often is the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum at the Experimental Farm. Haven't actually been in the museum myself, but they do have live animals as it's a working farm, and I did see kids getting a kick out of that. It's also across the road from the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, which connects to Dow's Lake/The Arboretum if the kids have energy and patience enough for a little hike.

-Unless you really want to do a full river/canal boat tour (which admittedly is a good time), if you want to give the kids an 'on the river' experience you can take a water taxi from the locks to the Museum of History.

-For a less structured day/period, Mooney's Bay has what I believe is the biggest public playground in Canada. You can also toss the kids in the water if it's really hot (depending on water quality and comfort level). Keep an eye out as there may also be festivals going on depending on when you come (all pretty kid friendly as I remember them). Edit: Can also take them to see the Hog's Back falls while you're there, it's close by.

-House of Targ, like 2-3 blocks south of Lansdowne, has all-ages family freeplay on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8:00 PM. Bunch of pinball machines and arcade cabinets. Have seen elementary age kids having a grand time there when I've showed up early for a band/adults only freeplay.

-Depending on scheduling and available time, the Mayfair Theatre has a Saturday Morning Cartoons program, with cereal and people in PJs, once and a while. People and their kids seem to love it. Bookmark their website and watch for advance tickets, it sells out FAST.

-We have a baseball team - the Ottawa Titans [edit: NOT Giants]! They play at the old Lynx stadium on Conventry. If the kids like baseball/sitting in stands drinking soda and cheering on something they don't understand, they may enjoy it. Also have soccer and football at Lansdowne.

-If you want to get the kids into nature, Gatineau Park is a no-brainer.

-Vincent Massey Park is nice as well.

Might add some others as I think of them.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 5 points 4 days ago (10 children)

You poor son of a bitch.

(Kidding, I like it here. Let me know if you want any recommendations!)

 

Blood

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 2 points 5 days ago

You'd probably dig Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, The Tikiyaki Orchestra, and Tak Shindo. Might like Raymond Scott as well.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

45 and flight?

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

There's a few people I know who use it for boilerplate templates for certain documents, who then of course go through it with a fine toothed comb to add relevant context and fix obvious nonsense.

I can only imagine there are others who aren't as stringent with the output.

Heck, my primary use for a bit was custom text adventure games, but ChatGPT has a few weaknesses in that department (very, very conflict adverse for beating up bad guys, etc.). There's probably ways to prompt engineer around these limitations, but a) there's other, better suited AI tools for this use case, b) text adventure was a prolific genre for a bit, and a huge chunk made by actual humans can be found here - ifdb.org, c) real, actual humans still make them (if a little artsier and moody than I'd like most of the time), so eventually I stopped.

Did like the huge flexibility v. the parser available in most made by human text adventures, though.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 1 points 1 week ago

Good points, but a question because I see that comment a lot: When you say 'we' had a millenia long relationship with alcohol, who's included in that 'we'? If we're talking humanity writ large, we've had a millenia long relationship with weed as well - just limited to people in areas of the world where it grows under natural conditions. Think the Indian subcontinent, China, etc.

This wiki article (by no means an authoritative source itself) is an interesting read. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cannabis

Will admit I'm being a bit pedantic, but at many points through my life I've heard people talking about cannabis as if it's some completely net new thing, which simply isn't true unless you're talking about very specific societies.

[–] Cracks_InTheWalls 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I can see how you'd reach this conclusion, but I also feel it discounts the decades of lobbying and protesting up to those moments. Plus, if the rationale was truly to make the populace more docile, why would there be such reluctance to legalization at the federal level in the U.S (not saying there isn't a counterpoint to this, re: keeping federal institutions full)?

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submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Cracks_InTheWalls to c/[email protected]
 

Morning, plus I recall there being a bunch of people comparing Oasis and The Beatles back in the day. I still don't really understand why.

 

A classic - strongly recommend listening to the whole album if you dig and this is new to you.

 

Like Dude (Looks Like a Lady), this song features on the soundtrack for Wayne's World 2

..."Gentlemen, say hello to the second-base mobile".

 

From the album THE MOUSE & THE MASK

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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by Cracks_InTheWalls to c/[email protected]
 

It's so. fucking. GOOD guys. Couldn't find a YouTube link so including the Museum of Canadian Music link instead, has all the songs for streaming from the website. Excerpt from MOCM:

Emerging from the vibrant music scene of Montreal, Quebec, in 1969, The Medium was a short-lived but highly influential psychedelic and progressive rock band. Known for their dreamy, druggy vocals, swirling guitars, and powerful fuzz-laden outbursts, they created an album that stands as one of the most adventurous and unique releases of the late 1960s Canadian psychedelic era.

... The band’s sound is a kaleidoscope of influences, blending elements of psych, acid rock, jazz, and early prog, with comparisons often drawn to Soft Machine, Iron Butterfly, The Doors, and the American band Listening. The organ-heavy arrangements, complex compositions, and fuzz-drenched guitars give the album a distinct sound that was ahead of its time.

Hope someone out there enjoys, I dug this hard.

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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by Cracks_InTheWalls to c/[email protected]
 

This was 20 minutes, specifically, well spent.

Oh, small shoutout: I initially found this at/on the Museum of Canadian Music. Cool place, you can also stream this album from there, just scroll down a bit: http://citizenfreak.com/titles/289859-man-made-st

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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by Cracks_InTheWalls to c/[email protected]
 

Imagine, if you will, a dark room with a single spotlight. The air begins to shimmer, and a hollow figure in the form of Don Cherry materializes. The pattern of its suit jacket is loud - too loud - and shifting unceasingly. The figure open its mouth, and a droning sound of wind reverberates as it draws in air. It states the following, flecks of foam frothing from its lips:

"GOod KiiNggSton KiiDdsss"

The light goes out. And this plays.

 

A song about a fan of the Man in Black, by a guy who wrote songs for the Man in Black.

 

So I post this knowing it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I had a soft spot for these guys ever since chatting with one their members at a show in my town, tagging along with another band on tour. Band out of Nova Scotia. Some days this song hits juuust right.

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