UnPassive

joined 1 year ago
[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

I was biking near campus in a bike lane and an old truck matched my speed (maybe 15mph) and then the truck came into my lane a little so I slapped the side to make noise. The passenger was a girl and her window was down so I yelled something and she looked back at me a face that I can only describe as "I don't want to be here" but then she looked forward again and I noticed the driver was looking over his shoulder at me with a big smile. Anyway, he forced me off the side of the road and I rolled to a stop in some grass and was totally fine, just shocked that someone would do something so reckless. He easily could have bumped me and I could have ended up under a tire. The truck then shot off (in a 25 zone).

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

This is why I lose in Magic the Gathering so much. I'll be like "wow what a combo, I could go on but this is mean enough." And then two turns later I lose to a mean combo. I don't think it's actually mean, the goal is to win. I just think it can be more fun to not have huge plays, even if that results in more losses.

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I've never used a helicopter cube, but I could see there being some similarities. The turning is surprisingly good and bad at the same time. 2x2 turns are excellent, even if an edge isn't aligned well, it just snaps into place. But the corners all turn clockwise easily and struggle to turn counter-clockwise at all. The corners do seem to be breaking in though so maybe that'll improve. Overall, fairly high quality puzzle in my opinion

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

That is a great idea... "Can I buy you a drink and talk to you about the restored gospel?" Lol

 

Saw people like this puzzle so I picked one up. Surprised how often I pick it up to solve. Cube turns well for what it is.

I tried to take a picture that showed how it works. It's a normal 2x2, but the corners twist, and the edges twist. No shape shifting or anything funny.

The solve is pretty easy. Just find and pair pieces to build the corners, then solve it as a 2x2. Not really any special cases that need special algorithms or anything. It is a bit tedious and can be hard finding pieces that you need, but that can be mitigated a bit with methods I'll let you discover for yourself.

I like puzzles like this that don't feel like I have to learn a bunch of new information to be able to solve them. But that are also unique and interesting

 

We grew up Mormon and weren't allowed to drink coffee or tea, both left the church as adults and I was saying how I wanted to find a mug that resonated with me. They made me this and I adore it. Hopefully it helps me through the winter when I can't mountain bike! About to head out to a trail now though. As soon as I finish this London Fog.

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago

Happened to me in college at the dollar store. Had like 10 things and only quarters. Went back the next day to get 10 more things with those quarters I saved

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

It is incredibly if they are going straight on the same road a car is turning right.

The Idaho Stop says they must yield, I'm not saying that a bike going 40kmph can safely run a stop sign. I specifically said "roll" a stop sign. And yeah, the data shows that it is safe (just not legal everywhere).

But to your point about car turning and bike going straight, this situation is actually dangerous whether the bike stops or rolls. The car needs to see the bike or the bike needs to wait in order to not be ran over. There are multiple intersections of this exact make on my daily commute. It's always scary. Stopping or rolling doesn't change if I'm seen though. I always have to wait to go until it's safe. To be clear, rolling doesn't mean not waiting for your turn at a 4 way stop or anything. It just means you don't have to come to a complete stop.

not because it’s a worse road infraction but because the risk they are taking is orders of magnitude greater

You can read about the safety of Idaho Stops here: Understanding the Idaho Stop/Stop-as-Yield Law.

Cyclist on the other hand usually follow a hybrid pattern

This is totally true and definitely a safety concern. Driving (or biking) predictably is always safest. It's something taught to motorcycles too. But yeah sometimes a bike has to move from the bike path into the road. It often happens at intersections and it's not really possible to predict. Mind you, tons and tons of bike paths abruptly end, forcing this situation. I don't really know what the solution is. I do think it's an exaggeration to say that bikes regularly jump on or off the road though (not that you specified frequency).

The problem is that if you simply ask a question here, it immediately goes “car bad, bike good” and a conversation cannot take place

I still do not believe your question was a good faith one. Maybe it was, but you just refuse to accept any answers. Like I mentioned in other comments, I gave some answers and perspective, but the goal post has shifted. Feels to me more like you simply just wanted to complain about bikes on the road. As if there could be no reason for it when a bike path exists. Hoping you have time to watch the video I linked in another comment. Your opinions are not unique, but even though lots of drivers share them, doesn't mean they carry much weight. But undoubtedly I could go on for hours on why cars are bad and bikes are good. That's a joke, but it's also not.

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I am starting to think you're trolling. We've gone in a few circles... Could be a communication issue on my part, but it feels more like dishonest debating on your part, to me... Benefit of the doubt and all that though:

No, I am trying to understand why they are not used when they are, by far, the safest option.

I gave reasons why I sometimes don't use the bike path, hopefully you understood those reasons. If not, just say so and I can try to explain better. Unfortunately I can't say why some bikers don't use your specific 3k section, but feel free to ask them I guess. But I do still think "In Ottawa, bike lanes mean nothing" is rhetoric against bike lanes/paths. Even if your next statement is that you don't understand why bikes are still in the road.

A bit unrelated but a bike lane (or even just the car lane) is sometimes safer than a bike path due to visibility at crosswalks (probably not in your 3k bike path situation though).

So it’s a surprise to you that erratic behaviour on the road may lead to more accidents?! ....

I... actually didn't say that though... So who is assigning opinions? I pointed out that what you said implies that another's behavior may not justify your extra caution if they're doing something illegal. The correct drunk driving example would be this statement:

I always give drunk drivers extra space, even if drunk driving is against the law

See how the "even if" part suggest they might not deserve your goodwill? As if you'd be more inclined to give space to bikes if they never broke the law. Maybe my interpretation of your statement isn't what you actually meant? (Side note, just checked your original comment and it actually said "even though" - doesn't change anything I think).

It turns out, people like you rather put themselves in danger and blame everyone else for, saving a few minutes in commute

This is kinda rich. Because while I did say that the road is more dangerous than a separated bike path, I didn't suggest that I blamed cars or others for the increased risk I take when I chose the road over the bike path. I weigh the risks and chose convenience. If I had it my way, bike infrastructure would just meet my needs on a bike better than road infrastructure so that I never wanted/needed to be in the road. So then is this a moot point? Maybe even a strawman? You've accused me of a few strawmans but I'm starting to think you either don't know what that means, or just don't hold yourself to a similar standard.

Also, all people in all parts of life do dangerous things for convenience? Cars speed, or maintenance is ignored, actually just driving at all is likely the most dangerous thing anyone does in their life on a regular basis. Biking and walking are safer without cars around, but around cars, cars disproportionately endanger bikes and pedestrians. Most people don't care (because of personal convenience at the expense of others), but I think it could make a legitimate argument for the need for safer biking and walking infrastructure.

As far as I’m concerned those sarcastic comments of mine are still your opinion.

Oh so you issue an opinion, assign it to me and then attack me for it?.. well that’s a new level of strawmaning

This actually kind of is the fault of me - I was thinking you never answered my question of ~"so then what nefarious reason are bikes in the road when a bike path exists?" But you actually did clarify that you don't know and don't think the answer has to be nefarious. Where I got confused is that my base claim is that <they probably have a reason, and it probably isn't to make cars angry> and since it felt like you didn't accept my claim, it led me to believe that you hold <they don't have a good reason, or the reason could be to make cars angry>. So I guess maybe we agree here, and maybe we don't. I'd appreciate some clarity though

Edit: I also want to throw in that your original claim was for Ottawa but the goal post has shifted to your 3k section of bike path. Yet you haven't specified that you're only confused about the actions of cyclists at your 3k section of bike path. But since I've sort of exhausted any input for your 3k section, here's a video that may give you some clarity: Why Don’t Cyclists Use Bike Lanes?

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The mentality here is that this is a car problem and if cyclists break rules well so do car drivers so two wrongs make a right and all is good?

I think what they're actually trying to say is that you have some observational bias, not that two wrongs make a right.

I also kinda want to point out that bikes rolling stop signs isn't dangerous (for a few reasons that we can get into if people want), but that's why some places allow "Idaho Stops" which allow bikes to yield at stop signs instead of stopping. But either way, bikes should have to obey their regional laws.

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yeah that bike path looks sweet, not sure why a cyclist would go in the road. But lets not pretend the reason is nefarious (unless, again, you have a good reason to think so). I'll also mention that kid carriers are often used for cargo and not just for kids - I wouldn't want to bring my kid on a road with cars while biking - but maybe some do.

mad for no reason | In Ottawa, bike lanes mean nothing

Mate, you are advocating against some of the infrastructure I care about most, and that saves lives, and your reasoning is literally just that some bikes are still on the road. Bad opinions that disagree with my own (hopefully justified ones) are frustrating. Feel free to help me see your point of view, but you aren't any more right just because you claim I'm mad.

Did you get that from the part I said I do everything possible to give them space

No, I got if from the part I quoted... :

I do my best to give as much space and look after cyclist even though

It's the "even though" part. That rhetoric suggests that you'd be in the right to not give space or something

The strawman was the sarcastic comment about how cyclists “just don’t want” to use the road… you can’t even keep your argument straight

As far as I'm concerned those sarcastic comments of mine are still your opinion. I did ask for clarification. It's in bold lol. This doesn't mean my argument isn't straight - at least as far as I'm concerned. But please feel free to clarify...

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (7 children)

None of what you claim takes place in the area I am referring to

Ah yes, I'm sure no bikes have to take a left around you. I'm sure you even spoke with the cyclists and found out first hand that they do in fact not want bike paths and prefer to share the road with cars... Like how am I supposed to believe this? Of course there's a reason they chose to ride in the road. Maybe it is to piss off cars, but you would probably be surprised to learn that cyclists don't hate cars the way drivers hate bikes. Most of us cyclists actually own and use a car. We just prefer not to when possible.

...even though they seem to want to share the road but never respect road rules (like stop signs or red lights)

I like how the connotation of this is that you have some sort of valid excuse to endanger their lives. Anyway, I believe bikes should have to obey all laws. I'm positive that most of the bikes around you do obey laws and that your opinion is the result of observational bias. I'm sure you also see cars break laws all the time (I sure do), but i don't pretend all drivers are anarchist-suicidal-menaces lol.

... strawman

I like how I gave real reasons that I personally occasionally don't use a bike lane and pointed out that you don't know why a cyclist might chose to be in the road instead but you're just like, "not ah, strawman!" Like I for real don't know what part of my response you think was a strawman, except maybe my sarcastic final paragraph, but you seem to agree with the sentiment, so then I don't see how I could be misrepresenting you... But here, I'll give you another chance; what nefarious reason might bikes chose the road over the bike path?

...accurately highlighting you just had no other way to turn this bad cyclist behaviour on me

Where I live a cyclist may take the lane for any reason. They don't have to prove a need or anything like that. So how is this bad behavior? Just because you don't like it? The bike infrastructure simply doesn't always meet the needs of a commuter on a bike.

Imagine if anyone came here claiming they ride the shoulder regularly because it’s less bumpy and saves some time… then insult anyone asking why are people driving on the shoulder

Yes imagine if busy roads caused cars to choose routes through neighborhoods instead of larger throughput roads; or if cars went into the other lane to avoid potholes; or went around speed bumps; or even went off road to avoid large bumps (common where I live on dirt roads). Like all those things really happen and I'm not criticizing it. But you pretend to be criticizing it to say a bike shouldn't be allowed in the road to avoid a bumpy bike lane. Sorry, but bikes simply are allowed in the road. No matter how unjust you feel it is, it's allowed. Meanwhile plenty of those car examples probably would result in a citation.

Some of what I've said comes off as hot headed, I don't mean to be insulting. At least not overly insulting. But I think you lack perspective. I think if you got on a bike for a while you'd realize how much bike infrastructure is missing. How often you have to get in the road to get to your destination. And how scary it is to share the road with cars. Ain't no one sharing the road for no reason.

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago (15 children)

There are two sections on my commute where I take the road over the bike path. The first section is because the bike lane is so bumpy that I'd have to be on a mountain bike. It's actually insane and saves a ton of time and comfort to take the road. There's actually another benefit to taking the road at this spot though; there is almost no visibility for cars of the crosswalks over the bike lane due to a lot of trees so I'm way less likely to be ran over in the road than the bike lane crosswalks at this section.

The second section is on a quiet street with 3 lights in a row that are almost always green. And the cross walk sign is always red (button has to be pressed to get a walk sign). So three times in a row you have to wait a full light cycle while barely traveling any distance. It saves sooooo much time to just take the road (which has a painted bike lane) here.

Sometimes bikes also just need to turn left. Or the bike path is just on one side of the road and a persons destination isn't on that side

But no I'm sure the bikes around you just do it to annoy cars, or because they don't even want the bike infrastructure to begin with, or to feel less safe. Get out of here lol.

[–] UnPassive@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

The Bencisco method is theoretically very similar to 4x4 Yau, but it doesn't actually reduce anything. It's basically layer by layer. So you solve the 6 center pieces of one face, then two of that face's corners. Then you turn the cube so that face is on the side and use the unsolved corner and slice moves to solve 3 more faces. And then the last layer is this whole thing that I sort of just do things until it's solved 🙃

 

Been playing with my new FTO for a dew days - wasn't able to solve it without help. I went with the Bencisco method and it's a really fun solve. It did take a bit for me to fully grasp solving centers (it's like 4x4 Yau method, but with a restriction). And I still don't fully comprehend solving the last 3 triplets, but I can always get them.

Some of my favorite twisty puzzles are ones that don't take a lot of learning. Just intuitive moves if you have a method. So more like solving a puzzle than following a list of steps. The FTO is almost that. The few algorithms I had to learn are basically intuitive once you see them once.

I definitely see myself picking this cube up a lot to solve for fun. My main complaint is that sometimes the puzzle is just solved after solving the centers. I actually really like the last step, but often multiple steps get skipped at the end. But then that's just an excuse to scramble it up again!

 

Borrowed a canoe from a friend and canoed across a lake to camp. It was fun, hiked up to explore some more lakes from our camp. The dog didn't love the canoe, but did fine. The water was some of the clearest I've ever seen, will be returning to do some freediving. I do think I still prefer backpacking over canoe-camping. We rowed just over 2 miles to get to camp.

 

I actually bike to work also, but just got this under desk bike and am really liking it. Don't feel like its distance calculator is super accurate, but supposedly I biked 30 miles yesterday. Much better than nothing either way!

Did have to tighten the bolts on my desk chair and lube it to get it to stop squeaking though

 

There is a hill to the left so it's actually really hard to walk through. Don't wanna go in the parking lot cause of my dog. It's a great trail connecting 2 parks but the section by the mall is not respected by the snow plows.

Would be such a shame to have to keep their snow on a row of unused parking spots! (This is the back side of our mall so no cars almost ever)

 

Got this because I don't like carrying cash (weird because I'm pretty into privacy, but I have a minimal wallet and am scared to hold lines up at stores lol)

It actually has to be broken to open which I love. The "MTG Fund" part was a joke at first but it's been a while since I was excited for a set and actually wanted to spend money on it. Bloomburrow seems promising, loved Redwall as a kid.

Might just be product fatigue. I've been very into pauper commander lately which holds me over

 
 

Picked up the young adventurer books thinking that they had simpler kid rules, but I guess they have no rules (you're supposed to just be motivated to buy a starter set or something). So I played with my niece (8) and nephew (5) without any rules and they LOVED it. Right after our first short adventure they wanted to play again.

I basically just made them roll for anything they wanted to do in combat and took turns as usual. Let them roll to respond to any attack back at them. No HP, just descriptions of injuries.

They loved upgrading their swords into go-go-gadget everything weapons with buttons to shoot spikes, or light on fire - so I let them. Even the boat they needed had to become a sword upgrade magic inflatable raft haha.

Anyway, highly recommend for young players.

 

Edit: Picked up "A Canticle for Leibowitz" for him - if you know a good book he might enjoy though, feel free to leave a comment as I'll either pass a list along to him, or use the list for future gifts to him. And thanks everyone for the great recommendations!

Looking for a short-ish, wide-appeal sci-fi or fantasy novel to gift to my dad for Christmas, in the Portuguese language - hopefully without strong religious components (more context and details below)

So my dad and I read a lot, but very different genres. I read almost exclusively sci-fi and fantasy, he likes biographies, historical, and religious books. Most out there book I know of him reading was The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour which he LOVED and talks about regularly, yet I don't think he's read any other historical fiction.

He regularly asks about what I'm reading and always says he doesn't understand why I like sci-fi/fantasy. He's never tried them though. I'm fairly confident he would enjoy the genres, he does fine with their movies.

Anyway, for Christmas I want to get him a book in Portuguese. He went to Brazil for 2 years on a mission for his church and he's still fairly fluent. My hope is he'll enjoy getting exposure to the language, while also getting to try a sci-fi/fantasy book.

There are some difficulties in picking a book for him though...

  1. He is pretty religious and probably can't handle anything with atheist topics, maybe best to avoid fantasy with strong religious components as well
  2. It probably should be on the shorter side - I haven't read many standalone novels so I'm not sure what's popular. I'm worried he'll lose interest in an epic fantasy novel, for example
  3. He loves humor - I'm not a huge fan so another reason I'm asking for help

We did read Bad Omens, he liked it a lot, wasn't one that I see myself re-reading - but I guess some religious topics are fine?

I once tried to get him to read Ready Player One, thinking that it had wide appeal and having loved the story myself... I forgot about Wade's atheist rant in the beginning though. My dad returned the book and kinda started a fight with me on how I must have some plan to de-convert him - and he assured me the book was propaganda for Satan... So yeah, definitely sensitive to religious topics.

An obvious choice, I think, is Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I may go with this if nothing else comes up. I don't love the book (not my favorite flavor of humor) but I think he'd enjoy it - I'm just hoping for something that might get him hooked on the genres.

Another serious contender is The First 15 Lives Of Harry August. I really liked this one, but I worry the themes of death and mental health might not be great for him.

Thanks for any suggestions! I know this is a bit specific

 

Has anyone been able to get consistent mouse input on black ops 1 zombies? Most maps feel okay, but I can't get Call of the Dead to a remotely playable state...

Tried lowering my mouse polling rate to 125Hz, raising my max framerate, disabling vsync and mouse acceleration. Still horrendous.

Not sure if this is Linux specific or if it's on Windows as well. I really wanna play Call of the Dead, but it's as if someone is adjusting my mouse sensitivity constantly while I play. The effect is not little.

Edit:

Using a controller works fine I just discovered, I definitely prefer mouse and keyboard, but at least I have an option!

Details of symptoms: It feels kind of like the framerate lowers significantly super frequently; during these moments my mouse acts like I cranked down the sensitivity as low as it'll go - to the point where I have to lift my mouse multiple times to turn 90 degrees, then things kick back in and I spin a 720 while readjusting to my normal sensitivity. Extremely disorienting.

I have fairly high end PC (especially for a game this old). Research I've done suggests that the mouse input is tied to the framerate; might just be an issue with the game then. Annoying that it works fine with a controller. Just hoping someone's got a fix!

 

Have to use Windows for work (I've asked), the ads have been getting worse and worse on my work laptop. Today got a game ad notification... That's clearly too far, right? Like I have to clear notifications, so I have to see it

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