John BS @johnabs@qoto.org

I found an awesome new browser add-on on hacker news that brings HUGE quality of life improvements to Wikipedia.

I love the themes, and customizable text fonts/spacing along with the little touches like moving the "related/navigation" section to a minimizable sidebar. I may ask the author to add support for dyslexic friendly fonts too, but if you use Wikipedia for your job or for fun, you should check this out!

https://www.modernwiki.app/

Installing Guix on a test laptop until I get things operational to migrate. I've not been this excited to configure a system in a long time :D

So, apparently the plastic recycling symbol isn't actually a recycling symbol. It's a "resin identifier symbol" (designed to look like the recycling symbol though, to confuse the public) and doesn't actually mean the material you put in the recycling bin is recyclable...which basically means all the due diligence we do to try to prevent environmental damage and personal bodily harm via micro plastic exposure is literally for nothing... Mircoplastics are in bloody fruits and veggies now somehow; we can't get rid of them, so clean eating is basically impossible.

When do we finally collectively pull our heads out of our butts and realize the lobbyists are nearly always the bad guys who sell the health of entire generations just to make a buck? I'm so done with this.

Please discuss. Trying to figure out what to use next; currently using Arch.

I heavily suggest checking out Jake Tran's channel.

I used to work in drug-development during my first doctorate program, and I think this is a pretty good "exposé" of the scummy insurance practices we see in the U.S. which substantially inflates our drug prices.

Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiOAPu-sfOI

I went on a lovely, hour-long bike-ride with my wife today. Despite being largely sedentary for most of the pandemic (and gaining some weight in the process), and I can gladly say it was totally worth it, and I'm hoping to try to actually commute more this way in the future.

The only problem is all the cars which could mangle my flesh into a gooey pile without a second thought...Ah Holland, how I long for thy safer cycling infrastructure 😩 😂

Well it's official, today I delete my Facebook account. Bloody finally lmao

For anyone interested in a super awesome emacs config, I have a channel you may be interested in. I heavily suggest checking out some of these utilities like email, org-mode, the editor, etc. They're seriously excellent, especially with "evil" mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aml36yZ-ANc

I am a new, proud owner of an xmonad configuration that behaves like dwm but isn't buggy and regularly forgets to update my clock and other bar related stuff (yay Haskell!).

I tried to include screenshots but it didn't let me 😂.

I'm glad my brain finally kicked in to high gear to understand the world's coolest (and likely toughest) programming language so I could get this wrapped up xD

Nevermind, I'm a dang genius.

Be amazed at my IQ.

My goals are beyond your comprehension now mortals.

Just kidding, I found a line I forgot to uncomment and for some weird reason it was only effecting 1 of my 2 monitors.

Hey all,

Anybody an xmonad aficionado? I could use some help fixing a few very minor issues, and I think I've reached the limit of the amount of random Haskell I can digest for a while lmao

I used to be a hardcore vim user. I recently discovered emacs (tonight, in fact), and I'm blown away.

Once I migrate, I'm probably not going back. If you guys want to know why, I'll be glad to write up a quick post on it.

P.S. If you're a vim user, you can keep the awesome keybinds, I heavily suggest you give it a shot.

Hot take (would appreciate discussion on this point if anyone (dis)agrees): individualism and collectivism are both good and necessary, but it depends on their direction. Top-down individualism, I would say, is necessary for a government that respects the rights of its citizens. If the highest ideal of the highest governmental authority is fundamentally collective, then the government can justify ignoring the rights of the individuals by using the "greater good" as a scapegoat.

Bottom-up individualism fundamentally becomes toxic. But bottom-up collectivism helps me maintain my relationship with my neighbors, my community, and my country. In a world where each of these philosophies is in balance, and coming from the appropriate place, I think we can produce a more civil, polite, and effective society. However, when either force overwhelms the other, or is applied from the incorrect direction, I think it leads to great injustice and lack of consideration for either the non-politicians, or those in our communities.

@freemo I've been watching a new channel on how awesome the Netherlands is, called "[Not Just Bikes](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0intLFzLaudFG-xAvUEO-A)".

Is it really such a "modern utopia"? What's your take on it? Things you love vs hate, that sort of stuff.

Also if it is truly that great, how would you suggest getting your foot in the door for academic/research/programming work? I know I've got a while to go on my PhD, but I'm thinking this may be a place to consider in the next few years.

Thanks for input you have! :)

I am so sick of ending up in group projects that I end up leading because nobody has any drive. It's exhausting, and I just wish people would carry their weight.

It's happened on some actual research projects, and in my courses; it's just too much of this crap.

Here's the finished board (with lunch in the frame lmao)

I made this end grain cutting board and I'm quite proud of it

Bandsaw is coming in soon, and I got my reverse osmosis system installed finally! This week has been pretty decent :D

Rant time. Today's topic: pineapple on pizza.

I've never felt more at risk of being doxxed for posting something 😂

<rant>

I'm convinced people who HATE pineapple on pizza have never tried it (or tried one where the pineapple wasn't roasted enough). In other words, I think most people just hate the concept like pedants who hate new slang developing in a language: they just hate it on principle.

Not to say these "pineapple inquisitors" would like it, but I think they're imagining something much worse than it actually is. It's not a watery, sour mess, but a roasted fruit with a very different experience to canned or fresh pineapple.

I quite enjoy it with a combination ingredients (chicken, bacon, mushroom, olive, extra red sauce), which are all very umami and can taste "heavy".

The light acidity, gentle caramelized sweetness, and hint of remaining moisture from a pineapple roasted in high-temp oven is great by itself. On top a pizza, it helps smooth over rough edges by taking what may be an otherwise dry pie with too rich a flavor, and balances the texture and helps cut that overwhelming richness.

Michelin star chefs are starting to use bloody Cheetos in their cooking and nobody bats an eye. Why is this one innocuous, quite reasonable combination seen as the most unforgivable food sin?

I think everyone needs to collectively release their grips on their pearls, and maybe try something new occasionally. Variety is the spice of life after all. If you don't like it, that's okay, just don't treat people who do like heretics.

</rant>