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wrath-sedan

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Just one uncomfortably sentient and angry automobile on a road trip through the fetaverse.

Profile pic credit: openclipart.org - user roland81 https://openclipart.org/detail/150787/comic-red-angry-car

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wrath-sedan,
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Never talk to me or my Mastoson ever again.

wrath-sedan,
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Should note that the “Taiwan is the real China” brand of politics has basically died out in Taiwan. Yes they are technically “The Republic of China” but China has said that changing that is tantamount to declaring de jure independence which would trigger a war.

Taiwan (for the most part) just wants to be Taiwan.

(See also why the “West Taiwan” meme is frowned upon and completely misrepresents what most Taiwanese people want.)

wrath-sedan,
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There’s a lot of layers there, Han people have been settling in Taiwan since the 17th century and this originally Taiwanese-speaking group makes up about 70% of people in Taiwan. They don’t consider China their homeland anymore than Americans do the UK.

Han people who came with the fleeing KMT government are more directly tied to China, but even they have been largely Taiwan-ized politically since the democracy and identity movements of the 1980’s. Which is to say, very very few people in Taiwan see China as a homeland these days.

wrath-sedan,
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Yup, the White Terror. I didn’t disagree with that.

My point was that the KMT coming to Taiwan was a wave of migration of people who while very anti-PRC saw themselves as fundamentally Chinese and Mandarin-speaking as opposed to pre-1945 Han settlers who were Taiwanese-speaking and in many cases had been living in Taiwan for hundreds of years already.

Today, those distinctions have softened, and polling shows that even the people who are descended from that wave of KMT migration mostly see themselves as Taiwanese first and foremost.

wrath-sedan,
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Thanks for mentioning it, I’d like to add that Taiwan is still a settler state. Taiwanese Indigenous people still live there, and have been waging their own battles for greater rights and sovereignty within Taiwan for centuries. Unfortunately, in all the Taiwan v. China noise their voices and concerns get drowned out.

wrath-sedan,
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Meta note: in kbin both the NYT link and archive link look and work fine, but when I check on this post from a Lemmy alt using the Memmy app the archive link is completely broken and there is no image preview. Anyone know what’s going on here?

EDIT: looks fine from lemmy.world in a browser, must be a Memmy problem

wrath-sedan,
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Andrew S. Hannen, appointed by George W. Bush.

wrath-sedan,
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Good list I make use of a lot of these too. Keep both LibreOffice and OnlyOffice around depending on how I feel that day but been leaning towards LO quite a bit recently.

I will say I had Caprine for a while but my god it uses so much memory, it has an absolutely massive footprint on my laptop. I find a nice compromise is using messenger.com as that way I can still send and read messages without delving into the horrors of FB, plus can keep it in a container.

wrath-sedan,
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I use a lot of note apps partially for school partially for fun but man Logseq PDF annotation is incredible. That plus native Zotero integration is a game changer for anything academic.

wrath-sedan,
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Yeah seconded that it’s not FOSS but still a great app. Logseq is a good FOSS alternative for a knowledge base, and I really like Zettlr for long form md writing and note taking too.

wrath-sedan,
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For anyone doing academic writing, I use a combination of Logseq, Zotero, and Zettlr. All open source. Collect articles in Zotero. Annotate and take notes on those articles in Logseq with absolutely amazing PDF annotation tools. Write draft in Zettlr which allows me to enter Zotero citations and reference Logseq notes.

Bonus shoutout to LibreOffice for exporting and formatting the final draft. And that’s your recipe for one all-natural, organic, FOSS thesis!

wrath-sedan,
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I… love you too?

wrath-sedan,
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Unfortunately I’ve never used LaTeX so someone else will have to answer that.

wrath-sedan, (edited )
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For pleasantness and YA high fantasy vibe Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle is great.

For wizard school with a much more mature tone R.F. Kuang's Babel is a great read. Warning though it is much darker and heavier, so prepare yourself emotionally haha.

EDIT: was recommended that I give a heavier content warning to Babel which is fair. While it is thrown around as an HP alternative it is emotionally harrowing, has some extremely violent and disturbing sections, and is generally focused on depicting the horrors of colonialism. A good read, but prepare yourself going in and don’t expect it to be quaint or pleasant.

wrath-sedan,
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Yes I think Babel is a little lighter on gorey excess than the Poppy Wars (which I haven’t read but my partner has described in detail to me). Which is to be expected for books designed to depict the horrors of colonialism.

But mainly mentioning it with a content warning since it’s often tossed around as an HP replacement. I think the first half of Babel captures a similar “wonders of magic school” vibe, although with a lot more caveats about how inequitable the entire system is. It does get extremely harrowing by the end so maybe should include a clearer warning in my post.

wrath-sedan,
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I got the trilogy as a used box set recently and I really wanted to love them but just didn’t click for me. Don’t read a lot of YA now anyway so maybe missed my chance, definitely see the appeal though and think it’s a good fit for OP’s request!

wrath-sedan,
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Someone else mentioned pawpaws but i just want to emphasize pawpaws are the shit. Plus if you live in the Eastern US especially the Midwest pawpaw season is HERE. You have no excuse not to leave your house this moment and find your nearest pawpaw grove.

Not convinced? Congrats you have subscribed to pawpaw facts:

  • they are related to the custard apple and were brought this far north in the shit of prehistoric giant sloths
  • they taste like somewhere between a mango and a banana, and so our ancestors in all their wisdom gave them names like Indiana banana, Ohio banana, <insert your state here> banana
  • they are a CAPITALIST NIGHTMARE as they have terrible shelf life so can really only be eaten fresh or bought from a farmers market
  • foraging for pawpaws is super fun as they grow in groves, have super skinny trunks and branches with large long leaves and surprisingly big fruit. To harvest pawpaws you give the trees a gentle shake and ripe fruit will just fall off. Don’t shake too hard or you might knock down fruit that isn’t ripe! Not cool!
  • to enjoy just shake em down, cut it open and eat the fresh fruit inside (not the skin). Do not eat the big ass seeds leave them where you found em so that out beautiful native pawpaw groves FLOURISH

All in all pawpaws are 10/10 if you want to feel like a literal Animal Crossing character shaking down trees for sustenance and having a great time eating fresh fruit outdoors

wrath-sedan,
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Just doing my part to spread the good word.

wrath-sedan,
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They make it to farmers markets occasionally, and the trees are very easy to identify and surprisingly common. If you know what to look for, most wooded areas in their range will have some pawpaw trees. They generally only fruit for a few weeks in late September/early October but the good news is you’re right on time!

wrath-sedan,
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Many locals haven’t either! They really are a hidden gem.

wrath-sedan,
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Looking at a map of their range they might be in the very southernmost part maybe near Madison, but just barely. You’d probably had to head towards Illinois or Indiana for a better chance of finding them.

If you use the app iNaturalist you can also find geotagged groves. Taking a quick peek there’s a handful in southern WI like I said, but they really pick up once you move south.

What’s the best note-taking app currently out there?

Looking for a note-taking app, preferably that I could use straight from a browser. I’m currently using Standard Notes. Not sure if that one is any good, but E2EE and open-source which at least checks those boxes. I don’t store anything too sensitive and I don’t need a whole bunch of features, though I suppose I’d use...

wrath-sedan,
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I kind of love note taking apps so I can rundown a few:

  • Logseq (FOSS, can technically run in a browser but it’s very limited and literally called “demo”)
  • Obsidian (not FOSS but local md first, very mature and a huge community)
  • Joplin (FOSS and probably general go-to for cross-platform open source notes in general but is a bit of a memory hog)
  • StandardNotes (you already described this one)
  • notesnook (very new offering probably most similar to SN but I don’t know)
  • AnyType (also very new and striving for more of a Notion-like experience but I think still needs time to mature)

I use Logseq most often, although I prefer Joplin on mobile. Obsidian and Logseq are more “personal knowledge management” and may be overkill for simple note-taking, plus I feel they are a little bloated on mobile. Honestly not sure which ones work in a browser, but I agree that’s a feature I’d like more of. All of these though I believe are cross-platform so should be usable on mobile or desktop.

wrath-sedan,
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I have a fairly old iPhone and I never have much of an issue with speed, so maybe?

My main issues with Logseq on mobile is that a) there’s no plug-in support which makes my workflow much more difficult and b) I find the UI as just a copy of the desktop UI without many mobile-specific features usable but not super intuitive. If I need to jot down a quick note or TODO on the go I don’t think it’s best. I keep the app mainly to reference longer notes on the go.

wrath-sedan,
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Hope you find something that works! I do enjoy that Joplin is not paywalled in anyway, and is still super robust, private, and local first. I personally hop around between several note taking apps based on my needs so finding apps that are local md first is high priority for me so that if I move to another app all of my notes can move with me.

Joplin stores notes in a database rather than directly as Markdown, but they can easily be exported as Markdown which I guess is the next best thing.

wrath-sedan,
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It really is crazy that under the COVID relief bills we saw direct payments to citizens, the child tax credits, and no cost healthcare at point of service for ONE disease. And then poof it was gone.

Especially on that last one, I’m surprised I don’t see it wrapped into the Medicare for All movement more often as an example of a dramatic expansion of the government’s role in healthcare for all Americans, however temporary and limited.

wrath-sedan,
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Some thoughts:

The Supreme Court ultimately were the ones who sustained the AL map being thrown out in the first place. While I’m sure politically the conservatives would prefer to see the lower court rule frozen, it would also be a clear and obvious attempt to undermine SCOTUS’ authority.

As for running out the clock and the Ohio comparison, the circuit court was clearly aware of this and has ruled a special master is to take redistricting out of the AL legislature’s hands. That’s the major issue with Ohio, there is no enforcement mechanism for an unconstitutional map, and for that reason voting rights groups are working to create one via constitutional amendment in 2024.

Plenty of room for a shitty outcome, but I think it’s more likely than not from a legal standpoint that AL gets its second Black district before the 2024 election.

wrath-sedan,
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I think this headline sounds sensationalist. It’s not untrue, but transiting the Taiwan Strait is something the US, Canada, and several other countries do pretty regularly to ensure they are still treated as international waters.

This headline makes it sound like an escalation when actually it’s pretty normal operating procedure.

wrath-sedan, (edited )
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Canada made the journey along with the USS Ralph Johnson, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, in what both countries describe as a freedom of navigation exercise.

Also they literally went together lol

EDIT: Top comment was not actually confused, but is really being dragged through the mud for a slightly ambiguous three emoji combo haha, sorry top comment.

wrath-sedan,
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Grover Norquist, who heads the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, said the IRS’ plan to pursue high wealth individuals does not preclude the IRS from eventually pursuing middle-income Americans for audits down the road.

Lol love the complete lack of evidence with just a big ol dose of non sequiter fear-mongering, they MIGHT come for you next!!

wrath-sedan,
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Yeah the tax structure already favors the wealthy in many ways, so the idea that more enforcement of existing laws on the higher end is somehow hurting the middle class is just laughable.

wrath-sedan,
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The lengths to which this game goes to steal all my free time is absurd.

wrath-sedan,
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But instead of moving to greener pastures, the wolves remained on an island and shifted their diet to unexpected prey: sea otters.

:-(

wrath-sedan,
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Not unexpected, I just like sea otters. They are unfortunately also a wolf-friendly source of protein.

How to be less racist/bigotred?

So I am a part of the LGBTQ community and work in a big city in middle europe. A lot of my coworkers are religios and have a foreign background. They are mostly very nationalist and homo-/transphobic. I hate them for their blind hate and bigotry, which wont change. I have realised, that I have become a bit bigotred towards...

wrath-sedan,
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It’s completely understandable to respond that way towards people who are dismissing or attacking a fundamental part of who you are.

At the same time it’s important to note they are a small sample size of their religious/ethnic/national background. Each of those groups is probably so large as to contain every kind of person from saints to bigots, which is why hating a group that large is fundamentally irrational.

Honor your own feelings, don’t make excuses for their bigotry, but remember that they like any of us are just small parts of the groups they belong to.

wrath-sedan,
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Tesla is only the second product we have ever reviewed to receive all of our privacy “dings.” (The first was an AI chatbot we reviewed earlier this year.) What set them apart was earning the “untrustworthy AI” ding. The brand’s AI-powered autopilot was reportedly involved in 17 deaths and 736 crashes and is currently the subject of multiple government investigations.

How utterly unsurprising. Also,

"Consent” is an illusion
Many people have lifestyles that require driving. So unlike a smart faucet or voice assistant, you don’t have the same freedom to opt out of the whole thing and not drive a car.

This is the kicker, many people need cars for unrelated reasons and the fact that ALL car brands abuse our data means there is no alternative.

wrath-sedan,
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Wasn’t self-hosting but trying it out with their server for awhile. I think the idea is great, and I think one of its big UI advantages is it’s a lot more intuitive on mobile than most other personal knowledge management / note takers I’ve used.

I did find it pretty buggy at times and a lot of the features not built out enough yet to be a daily driver for any particular use case of mine yet. I’ve tucked away into my “cool projects to check up on at a later date” mental drawer.

Is there a word in English to describe someone who wants to preserve a (minority) culture against erosion from a majority culture?

In Hong Kong there are many of us who want to preserve Hong Kong/Cantonese culture from erosion by CCP/mainland culture. For example, sometimes you can see a lot of mandarin around school kids rather than cantonese. The government is also pushing for schools to teach in mandarin rather than cantonese. Mandarin is the language...

wrath-sedan,
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I would probably use cultural activist. You could probably also use advocate or preservationist.

Activist has a little bit more active connotation, like your out in the streets or organizing in some way to maintain the culture. Advocate is good, but a little vague. Preservationist would be more like documenting or conserving existing examples of the minority culture, and is maybe a little dry or academic of a term.

So for your example Cantonese cultural/language activist would probably fit best.

wrath-sedan,
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While they would if they could as they have already shown, I’m pretty sure this goes above their heads. I could be wrong and please someone correct me if so, but a special master’s map if implemented is not subject to the legislatures’ approval as that would largely defeat the purpose.

How would you explain the need for three writing systems in Japanese to a person who only has had experience with one?

As an English speaking person who recently got into learning Japanese, I was intrigued by the use of the three writing systems: Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana, however I could not truly understand why it is that way. I do know a bit about the history of these languages but that is not what I am interested in knowing; I wish to...

wrath-sedan,
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This blog and the Wikipedia are good starting points. I don’t speak Japanese, but I do speak Chinese and have a background in linguistics so am peripherally aware of what’s going on so take that with as much salt as you need.

It’s useful to note that there were multiple attempts to go the “Oops! All kana” route or use romaji, but for a variety of reasons cultural, political, and linguistic, those didn’t pan out. Writing systems are deeply informed by a specific historical and social context, and what at first seems like irregularity or unneeded complexity, are often actually the traces of that history marked on the language.

As for issues like why katakana is used for non-foreign words too, I thinks it’s best to think of language feature less as strict rule followers and more like a species in its ecological niche. Katakana is very good at rendering foreign words in Japanese, but if it finds some unfilled gap that isn’t being better filled by some other feature people will use it to to fill that gap too. When the semicolon was developed in English no one imagined at the time we’d use it to do this ;-) but here we are.

wrath-sedan,
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;-)

wrath-sedan,
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I’ve been loving RSS for awhile now not only because it’s private but because it seems to be unpaywalled as well? Maybe someone can answer this, but how is it I can subscribe to the NYT RSS feed and can get completely free articles to my reader?

PS shoutout to NetNewsWire on iOS which is open source and the developer seems like a great guy. It’s not great for discovery as you have to paste in the web url manually, but if you already know what you want to read it’s a great RSS reader app.

wrath-sedan,
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This is the feed xml I use for NYT Breaking News. I get the usual text preview but if I choose to expand the full article it’s always there. This is true on NetNewsWire and Inoreader which I previously used.

wrath-sedan,
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Yes! It really is a gem, especially since iOS has so many fewer open source options in general.

wrath-sedan,
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Seconded! Amazing app. I noted in my own comment you might have to go somewhere else for discovery since there’s no in-app search, but as a reader it’s near perfect.

What are some alternatives to bars that stay open late for folks that don't drink alcohol?

Bars are notable for staying open late, but I’m not really familiar with alternatives that might operate similarly. I think many cafés (at least around my area) tend to close a few hours earlier by comparison, which would be my go-to for an alternative otherwise, so what other options are there?

wrath-sedan,
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I didn’t know about these and found one in my city. Thanks for the tip!

Does your major in college really matters?

I’m in my last year of college and for some reason, I decided to design my own major, and I feel like I made a mistake, I’m looking at jobs RN and feel like no employer is going to understand it at all. And that I don’t really have much in demand skills? (FYI - it’s a BA in community development, so kinda like urban...

wrath-sedan,
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As someone with what feels like three more or less made up degrees, I’ll say having a degree in general is often a prerequisite for many jobs so it is better than not having a degree for sure.

In terms of hard skills, I also wish I’d developed more in college, but it’s still possible to develop those outside of school either on the job, on your own time, etc.

Your first job or your next job might not be your dream job or even all that relevant to your studies. But its much better to build skills and experience while also bringing in income, and it will make your next job search all the better.

Good luck, I’m currently job searching too and it’s soul crushing but we’ll make it!

wrath-sedan, (edited )
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Just a note that all Guardian articles are free, and on the sign in/support pop up you can just click “I’ll do it later” or I think just the “X” on mobile. Don’t need a 12ft link, but good thought!

EDIT: skipped over the “soft” paywall bit in my head so advice is probably redundant

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