DamnInteresting

I deeply dislike advertising, but I am also willing to pay for services I value, so I am subscribed to YouTube Premium. But given how evil and greedy Google has become, I fully expect the "premium" service to eventually transition from no ads to "limited ads" (and that is the day I will cancel my account and walk away forever).

On the subject of automobiles making strange assumptions, my Chevy Bolt EV has a "feature" that I have never been able to understand:

The car has 2 drive modes: "D" and "L". The "D" mode mimics an automatic ICE car--it creeps forward when one lets off the brake, and coasts for a long time when one lets off the accelerator. I always drive the car in "L" mode, which is the aggressive regenerative braking mode. When I let off the gas it slows to a stop quickly (assuming the battery is not near full charge). And it does not creep when I release the brake.

But there is one bizarre exception: If I power on the car and put it in "L" mode, but I haven't yet fastened my seat belt, the car will creep forward when I let off the brake, just like in D. This has caught me off guard a few times, but I've always caught it and hit the brakes before the car rolled into my garage door or a car parked in front of me.

I once brought it up on /r/BoltEV, and someone claiming to be a Chevrolet engineer told me this behavior was by design, but had no good justification for it.

If memory serves, the map just subtly highlighted stars where there was something more than mere resources to be found. It could be backstory, useful items, dangerous enemies, etc. The marking was so subtle that I didn't even notice it until my second playthrough, when I was deliberately trying to discover more stuff.

I had a retail box copy of Star Control 2, and it came with a big fold-out map of the star system, with points of interest highlighted. If you play without the advantage of that guide, it is understandable if you struggle. They intended for you to have some guidance.

I think I still have that map in a box somewhere. What a great game.

It would be nice if iOS Safari added support for the same browser extensions that are available on desktop browsers. Why have they not? Probably something about CPU usage and battery life, but boy-howdy the web is a shitshow without ad blockers, privacy enhancers, etc.

It's probably closer to 75% baked: https://wordwhile.com/

The core game mechanic is an endless word-finding game, where it is possible to save up letters to spell some very high scoring words. There is also a 5-minute mode for people who need an ending. Oh, and a 2-player versus mode that virtually no one wants to play, according to anonymous stats.

I'm still ironing out bugs and adding some features, but it's coming along.

I had a similar experience recently. I started working for a firm that has some legacy Perl code still in service, and in the process of Googling I was presented with one of my own answers on perlmonks.org from over 20 years ago. The emotions were complicated.

My 2017 Chevy Bolt EV does something like this. Any time the infotainment system restarts, and at some seemingly random times, it displays a dialog with a whole paragraph of text about how the driver needs to keep their eyes on the road, and not on the screen[1]. Sometimes these reboots occur while driving, so it sometimes displays this long distracting message about avoiding distractions while one is in active traffic. Bananas.

[1] https://i.redd.it/tslqa8b29lua1.jpg

I really wish there was a robust way to block channels on YouTube. There is one YouTuber (Simon Whistler) that I check in on a lot--not because I enjoy his content, but because he is a parasite. He did paid voice work for me for years, but then one day I discovered he had started working with a competitor, and together they were systematically poaching my entire catalog of non-fiction content. They started releasing videos covering the same obscure topics with the same details, sometimes even using my original artwork without permission. It's been going on for years now, across multiple channels and hundreds of videos. What he's doing is (mostly) not illegal, but goddamn is it slimy.

I keep an eye on his channels to catalog the egregious poaching, but as a consequence, YouTube thinks I'm his biggest fan, and keeps recommending his videos. I am tired of seeing his smug, parasitic face in my sidebar. What a scumbag.

I tried a standing desk and found it difficult to work standing for more than ~20 minutes at a time. It got to where I had to shift my weight so often that it became a distraction. I next tried a treadmill desk, and walking slowly made it much easier to work upright for 60+ minutes at a time. Every body is different, but walking was miles better than standing for me.

Coincidentally I was listening to this song as I read your comment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtddIM6wfvs

Perhaps it holds/held the ashes from someone's cremation.

Thanks! They are the result of a lot experimentation and iteration.

I have been tinkering with this word game for something like 6 years. It is intended for mobile, though it works adequately on desktop. It is a virtually endless word-finding game that can be played solo or taking turns with a friend. I still need to add some game modes and more interaction, but the bones are there:

https://wordwhile.com/

Be gentle, it's running on a budget server.

I tried two different models of Kensingtons. The first one felt fine to use, but it had a scroll ring around the ball, and this piece broke off after a few weeks. I got it replaced under warranty, and the next one broke the same way in a similar time frame. So I tried one of their other models, and it just didn't fit my hand well. It's now my emergency backup.

Seconded on the trackball. I was a trackball user for years until Microsoft discontinued their trackball ca. 2005, and I was unable to find a suitable replacement. A couple of years ago I was feeling some wrist pain from my conventional mouse, and reexamined the trackball offerings. After a couple of missteps with mediocre Kensington models, I found the Elecom HUGE Trackball. It is excellent, I am tempted to buy some backups in case they stop making it.

For the Mac users: I find that it is quite handy to keep a Magic Trackpad on the side of my keyboard opposite the trackball. I use it to make quick gestures such as switching desktops, showing all windows, etc.

Seconded on the bone conducting headphones. I have a little kid, so I need to reliably hear my environment, but it's nice to listen to podcasts or audiobooks once in a while.

Also the bidet. It is so strange that water washing a bum is the exception rather than the rule. In many ways we're still a primitive civilization.

Do you have photos? I love stuff related to the Voyager Golden Record. About 7 years ago I made this: http://voyager.damninteresting.com/

I have not yet employed an interview coach, but I suspect it would be helpful to have a frank evaluation. I have a pretty large online presence, perhaps it is negatively affecting my opportunities in ways that I do not see. Hmm.

I've been in the business for almost 20 years. I've been hired for positions where I don't even code in the required language, and the employer depends on me to learn it on the go. Until recently I've never had trouble securing a job. But I've been on the market now for about 2 years. I often can't even score an interview, even for jobs that exactly match my qualifications.

I'm over 40, so I must assume ageism is a factor, but even in light of that, this tech job market feels like a desert.

Yes indeed, we are still on Dreamhost. With almost 20 years of hosting sites there, we get some nice discounts from their referral program--otherwise we'd probably change hosts.

Author of the linked article here. If you're implying that I manufactured the "eh"s, you are mistaken, they were in the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder. If you are implying that I intentionally left them in for comedic value, I cannot argue with that.

Mine may or may not qualify as a "personal blog." It is running on blogging software (Wordpress) and I am a person, but our content is more magazine-like than blog-like. In any case, it can be found at https://www.damninteresting.com. Established 2005.

I don't consume HN via RSS, so I am just speculating, but perhaps the RSS feed has a lot of turnover. HN on the web is nice because links stay on the front page for a while, but a chronological delivery such as RSS might be messier.

The song in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJjuBcmPCeQ

Another vote for A Short History of Nearly Everything. Eighteen years ago, I enjoyed that book so thoroughly that I started researching and writing my own nonfiction. The pay is terrible, but the work is fulfilling.

I wrote about this contraption 17 years ago: https://www.damninteresting.com/curio/the-falkirk-wheel/

> "I am so angry, so infuriated that you're abusing me, that ..... I WILL... leave for 3 days and then come back for the rest of my life".

"for the rest of my life" is a big assumption. This strike could/should be the first in a series of escalating strikes. If parties truly seek change, and not just punishment, it is tactically unwise for one's first response to be maximum retaliation.

And yet somehow it handily powers over 75% of websites today.[1]

[1]: https://w3techs.com/technologies/history_overview/programmin...