fireweed

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In Space, No one Can Smell your Many, Many Farts. in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Easy, NASA sends you up with one hundred tampons

In what videogame you're currently stuck and you gave up or drop it for a while? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago (10 children)

Outer Wilds

Reviews of the game are fantastic ("this is the best game I've ever​ played" - everybody) but trying to fly that damn spaceship is so hard. I also heard there's tricky platforming later on, and if you mess up you gotta start waaaay back. I did not grow up with video games so I'm terrible at that kind of thing. I should just give up and watch a playthrough but apparently that defeats the whole point of the "incredible" story, which is the only thing I'm here for in the first place.

I guess I'm just holding out for someone to release an assist mode or something.

What are your favorite examples of 'media within media' (e.g., shows, stories, or movies inside of other shows or books)? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago

Seven on 7 is a series of TV news shorts and commercials from The Boys universe. It's a delightful little parody of Fox News. The whole series is available free on YouTube.

Election officials warn that widespread problems with the US mail system could disrupt voting in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

In Washington State (where most voting is done by mail) it doesn't matter when officials receive your ballot, all that matters is that it's postmarked by election day. This does mean that any race that's even remotely close can take days to call (as ballots continue to arrive days after election day), but you never have to worry about how long the post office is going to take to get your ballot delivered.

In neighboring Oregon on the other hand (also primarily mail-in voting) they won't count your ballot if it's not received by election day, so every election they have to throw out stacks of otherwise legitimate ballots just because the voter either underestimated how long it would take for them to arrive, or because all they heard was "XX is election day" and didn't know to consider mailing time.

I think Washington's system is superior, and should be how it's done everywhere. Washington also has same-day registration for the super-procrastinators! Literally no excuse to not vote here.

This is a bigger culture shock than the metric vs imperial system to me. in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

Singapore is even more bonkers because they have eastern and western superstitions to accommodate, plus it's a really densely-built island so tall buildings are extremely common.

[Serious] What should every young person do? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

I mean, obviously it's not for everyone, but it's important to actually experience urban living for yourself before deciding you hate cities. Especially given the political situation in the United States right now, where so many suburban and rural residents are bashing cities and urban living without having properly experienced it for themselves; I think there would be a huge bite taken out of the urban/rural divide if more people had experience living in cities, and got to personally see the good and the bad for themselves. Plus your twenties is a great time to learn street smarts, because that way you'll be less likely to have a bad experience when you do visit a big city in the future, whether it's for something fun like a concert or something serious like going to a medical specialist. There are a lot of basic lessons like "never ever leave anything visible in your unattended parked car", how to use public transportation, being able to firmly say "no", and general situational awareness that are just good life skills that city living forces you to pick up.

I'm not at a point in my life where I want to live in a big city anymore, but I'm so, so grateful that I did in my youth.

[Serious] What should every young person do? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Travel, live abroad if possible, and experience living in a big, culture-rich city. Unfortunately the economic realities of the 2020s are making this increasingly out of reach for many youth, but if you have the resources and opportunity, absolutely go for it. As you get older, responsibilities and lack of energy will likely sap much of your ability/desire to move around as much (this isn't true for everyone, but it's extremely common). Even if traditional travel is impractical for you, there still exists cheaper opportunities for exploration that are a bit off the beaten path, such as the WWOOF program.

Regardless of your situation/location, one thing that basically anyone can do is get involved in a cause. Find something you're passionate about and throw yourself into it. Make sure it's something that you can do in-person and not virtually... as in, there are local groups you can join for this cause, although if there aren't you can always try making one or forming a local chapter of a larger org. With the right networking you'd be surprised how many other people will join you, especially for causes that involve your local community. This is a great way to meet other people, get to know the issues facing your neighborhood/city better, and learn to navigate your local government/NGOs. Again, as you get older responsibilities/exhaustion can make this sort of thing a lot harder.

TIL about lunch shaming... america are you ok? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Minnesota is probably the most famous example at the moment, but they're far from alone!

https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/states-with-universal-free-school-meals-so-far-update/

TIL about lunch shaming... america are you ok? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Red states are not okay, because all they have left in their value system is cruelty toward people they see as not "pulling their weight," as if we still live in some resource-scarce era of yore where if you don't work, you don't eat (and even if you do work, eating is not guaranteed, better work harder!).

Blue states are increasingly providing lunches, and sometimes even breakfast, for all students free of charge. It used to be income-based (you'd get free or half-priced lunch based on your family's income), but even that system is getting ditched because of the associated stigma and the problem of some needy students falling between the cracks.

Please stop the bus of life, I want to get off in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I actually think this is brilliant. Most Americans have no knowledge or personal connection as to where their food comes from and what goes into producing it. The ag sector is also, sadly, rife with worker abuse, farmers commit suicide at way higher rates than the general population, and our food system is getting increasingly industrialized and specialized, with small farms getting gobbled up by megacorps. But because agriculture usually happens away from population centers (sometimes far away) there's not a lot of public awareness (or sympathy) of issues. Meanwhile soil depletion and unsustainable practices are setting the US up for all kinds of potential future disasters (second dust bowl, anyone?), and that's before you factor in climate change.

So yes, let's have all Americans get even a few months of experience with our food system!

Angel of [Rule] in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

There's a webcomic called Just Roommates that's based on this concept of the suits themselves taking on a persona.

Is it really just ageing/ getting older? How is this supposed to work? How is everyone else doing this? in c/[email protected]
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Agree with everyone else that this isn't normal for someone your age and get a second opinion.

However addressing your other questions: you're at an age where lifestyle starts to really matter. Diet, exercise, ergonomics, environmental exposure to pollution/toxins, alcohol/drug use, sleep habits: these are all things that many healthy young adults can avoid having to worry about... until suddenly they can't anymore. It is common, especially starting around age 30, to find there's unhealthy behaviors from your teens and 20s that you just can't do or do to excess anymore. It's different for everyone; for some people it's that they can't sleep on a crappy mattress anymore, or drink certain types of liquor, or pull all nighters, or eat garbage, etc etc.

So while it sounds like you have some personal health issues outside of what's "normal," you still are at an age where the cumulative effects of a poor lifestyle can start to catch up to you. I think a lot of people greatly underestimate how sedentary their lifestyles are in particular, and of all the behaviors to change for the better as you age, going from sedentary to active is probably the hardest, given that our world is built to keep us sitting: sitting in our cars, sitting at our desks, sitting on our couches, basically sitting from the moment we wake until we go to sleep. Humans never lived like this until very recently: basically every decade since the personal automobile became the standard mode of transportation it's steadily gotten worse. So yes, definitely do some doctor shopping, but now is also a great age to take stock in your lifestyle and how you're treating your body. Because yes, it does get a little harder each year, but the speed of which it gets harder is at least partially up to you.

14
Random case of vaporwave (lemmy.world)
 

I love seeing random instances of vaporwave influence. I stumbled across this example in the sci-fi/fantasy webcomic series Ava's Demon. It's only for two panels and has nothing to do with the plot at all, but I thought it was a neat cameo.

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[OC] Everett True -- Updated for 2024 (lemmy.world)
 

Second panel of the original comic (posted here) amended to track better in 2024 based on the first panel's dialogue

23
Synthwave/vaporwave in pop music (lemmy.world)
 

I was listening to the radio the other day and did an audio double-take as I could swear I heard vaporwave coming from my speakers. Turns out it was the intro to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, one of the hottest songs of the summer. Another popular song that seems like it might have some subtle vaporwave influences is Saturn by SZA.

What do you think, is this just a coincidence or has the niche phenomenon of vaporwave influenced pop music? What mainstream songs give you synthwave/vaporwave vibes?

44
Lupine seed formation follow-up (lemmy.world)
 

There was a conversation about lupine seed collection in the comment section of a post a little while back, and now that my lupine is going to seed I thought I'd follow up on what that looks like.

From left to right, we have immature seed pods (still green, still developing), maturing seed pods (brown, with black seeds inside), pods just about to pop (you can see them starting to split open with the round black seeds poking through), old pods most of which have popped open and dispelled their seeds, and finally a branch with all four stages present (generally seed pods develop from the bottom up, however this can be affected by variables like sun exposure).

The seed pods are apparently heat-activated; we've been getting a major heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest and the pods have been exploding open like crazy during midday when the sun hits them and the ambient temperature is at its peak. The seeds are propelled out when the pods burst open, and I've witnessed them fly well over ten feet.

If you want to harvest lupine seeds, the key is to grab them when they're mature but not yet expelled; you can do this by harvesting the pods by hand as they mature, but usually I prune the branches off the lupine once the pods on the branch start opening and put the entire branch in a bucket to break open at their leisure. While this pruning is generally unnecessary if you're not interested in seed saving, it does prevent thousands of volunteer lupine from popping up all over the garden (it's nearly impossible to keep all the seeds from spreading so I usually get a few dozen every fall and spring, but it's super easy to remove any that aren't wanted). One year I pruned the spent flowers before seeds could develop, and while that did produce a small second round of blooming I think it overly stressed the plant. Many lupine species are fairly short-lived perennials (with a few annuals sprinkled in), so it may be worth stressing them for more blooms if it's likely to die soon after anyway.

Some general disclaimers about lupine: due to their prolific seed generation and speedy life cycles, lupine are highly invasive outside their native range. There are also many species of lupine out there, so before planting make sure to source species from your area! There are some more "domesticated" ornamental species out there, but I'd really recommend sourcing a native variety if you can. They are really wonderful plants that require little care once established, have unique and showy foliage, and native bumblebees absolutely adore their gorgeous flowers.

I hope this was informative!

15
Review: Train to the End of the World (en.wikipedia.org)
 

Cross-posted from: [email protected]

Original post: https://lemmy.world/post/17367342

Title: Train to the End of the World (English); 終末トレインどこへいく？(Japanese)

Type: Anime

Year: 2024

Country: Japan

Genre: Surreal

Status: Completed

Platform: Crunchyroll (watch here)

Appropriate for 30+?: No, but I (mostly) enjoyed it anyway

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)

Train to the End of the World (TEW) is perhaps one of the worst "cute girls doing cute things" series I've ever watched, and yet it's probably the series I've enjoyed the most this year so far.

Much like Girls' Last Tour, this is an entry into the "cute girls doing cute things, but in a dystopian setting" sub-sub genre that in theory hinges upon the bizarre juxtaposition of two seemingly incongruent elements. However unlike Girls' Last Tour, (or the currently-airing Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction), TEW probably would have benefited greatly from having literally any other cast of main characters. I thought the girls were really cliche, annoying, and forgettable, with painfully uninspired dialogue, and were regrettably-yet-unsurprisingly subject to a level of sexualization that would probably make most older audiences uncomfortable (nothing extraordinary, just the anime standard treatment of high school girls). Honestly I zoned out during most of the scenes involving the girls chatting amongst themselves, and I doubt I missed much plot at a result.

Despite all this, the premise/setting/world building of TEW makes up for its flaws. Once the girls STFU, the show gets to show off its weird, fun, creepy side. This is a series that makes you go ah, this is what the animated medium is for: surreal nonsense that would require a buttload of fake-ass CGI to even attempt to portray in live action. I really like the tone of the series, which is generally upbeat but with an uneasy aftertaste that puts you on edge while never actually venturing into tragedy (as can happen with surreal/dystopian series, looking at you Kaiba). There's a good balance of exploration and action, with some decent comedy tossed in on occasion.

Maybe I'm biased because my first trip to Japan, I spent a few weeks living at a guest house in Oizumi-Gakuen along the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line featured in this anime, and I'm a complete sucker for series that utilize real places (and TEW has a whole train line of them). Regardless I absolutely loved the premise of riding a train through a vast, unknown land of magic and horror, stopping at each station to learn what became of various previously-sleepy commuter towns in bizarro-Tokyo, intensity growing the closer you get to the city-within-a-city of Ikebukuro. TEW is a bit like Kino's Journey, but with socio-political commentary replaced with the train scene in Spirited Away albeit with more menacing vibes.

In summary, TEW is weird and atmospheric and I am here for it, despite the obnoxious (and occasionally uncomfortably-portrayed) main cast of cliche anime high school girls. Perhaps the creators didn't quite nail what they set out to do, but I couldn't help but really appreciate the attempt.

As with all my reviews, the above is nothing more than my personal opinion. Have you read this series? What did you think? Post in the comments!

11
Let us count the "waves"... (lemmy.world)
 

One of my favorite aspects of "wave music" is that it's spun off so many various sub-genres and niche aesthetics. We've got:

Synthwave, Chillwave, Vaporwave, Retrowave, Darkwave

as some of the main players, but what else is out there? What other "waves" have you come across?

9
New Community: "Wave Music" (lemmy.world)
 

Hello fellow synthwave fans! I created a new community for all the "wave" genres: synth, vapor, chill, retro, dark, cyber, etc. Please come check it out!

[email protected]

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Introducing "Wave Music," for all things synthwave, chillwave, vaporwave, retrowave, darkwave... (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
11 comments fedilink
 

For fans of '80s-inspired contemporary beats. Share artists, albums, compilations, -wave channels, and vibe art.

[email protected]

5
Listen to This: Droid Bishop (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
1 comments fedilink
 

Droid Bishop (real name: James Bowen) is a one-man synthwave artist who's put out multiple banger albums over the last decade-ish. Each album feels like the soundtrack to an introspective 80s drama/action film. Beyond the Blue is probably my favorite road-trip album of all time; it makes driving through the empty expanses of I-80 through Wyoming feel like a grand, meaningful adventure.

As far as I can tell he doesn't have an official YouTube presence, but this channel seems to have all his works: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYb8MJseDAimJBFCJQ8Hfvg

3
Listen to This: INEXED (lemmy.world)
 

INEXED is one of my favorite channels for background music. If I wanted to introduce someone to synthwave, this might be where I direct them.

Videos are consistently high-quality, and the compilations are long (1hr to 2hr+) without repetition. There's perhaps not a lot of variety in vibe: some videos label themselves and vaporwave, chillwave, retrowave, etc, but I'd consider those to be more the flavor of synthwave being featured than actual examples of those genres. Most compilations are calming but energetic, with a bit of a surreal touch.

It's frustrating that INEXED only has about 37k subscribers when the quality is so much better than a lot of other synthwave/chillwave channels out there. Please check them out!

https://www.youtube.com/@INEXED

6
Listen to This: NewRetroWave (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
3 comments fedilink
 

NewRetroWave is the GOAT.

They've posted over 3000 retrowave and synthwave songs and albums since 2011, and more keep coming. With over a million subscribers, they're one of the biggest players in the YouTube synthwave scene, and for good reason: in an era of low-effort compilations repeating the same tired tracks over and over, NewRetroWave somehow keeps finding quality fresh material for us listeners. Most of their posts are single songs (3-6 minutes), but there's a few longer (hour-ish) compilations mixed in.

This feels less like a YouTube channel and more like a library. Definitely check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/@NewRetroWave

4
Listen to This: dreamingr0b0ts (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
3 comments fedilink
 

Dreamingr0b0ts is a fantastic house/trance YouTube channel with a mere 123 subscribers. (It may not technically be synthwave, but it's synthwave-adjacent)

Some of the very oldest videos are a bit rough around the edges, but they quickly improve in quality. I like this channel because it has more of an old-school vibe than most synthwave; it reminds me a lot of early-2000s electronica, back in the days of Armin van Buuren. Vocals are present more often than not, and the vibe is more "dance" than "chillax." Great music to stay awake during a long road trip, or to stay motivated during a big house clean-up. A lot of synthwave videos rehash the same songs over and over, but as far as I can tell these are quite fresh.

Check out their "The Daily Dose" series, each of which are albums of about 20 minutes each.

https://www.youtube.com/@dreamingr0b0ts

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