D_E_Solomon's recent activity

  1. Comment on All the good email clients go to hell in ~tech

    D_E_Solomon
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    I use SparkMail on Mac and Iphone. It handles multiple mail accounts and it deals with the massive amounts of notifications and spam and sales stuff effectively - to the point that I don't spend a...

    I use SparkMail on Mac and Iphone. It handles multiple mail accounts and it deals with the massive amounts of notifications and spam and sales stuff effectively - to the point that I don't spend a lot of time on email and I'm only looking at what I really need to look at. It's very opinionated - Spark focuses on reading important email quickly and is very anti filing every email into a separate folder.

    Yeah, it's a subscription and it has a 'modern' ui, but the productivity has been life changing for me.

  3. Comment on Cloud exit - cloud is NOT cheap in ~comp

    D_E_Solomon
    Link Parent
    At least for Azure, folks going to them tend to be enterprises who already have a Microsoft commitment. So they're not just negotiating the Azure, but their entire usage. Moreover, often Microsoft...

    At least for Azure, folks going to them tend to be enterprises who already have a Microsoft commitment. So they're not just negotiating the Azure, but their entire usage. Moreover, often Microsoft is giving breaks on software licensing for workloads running on Azure. So it's less the price of the service and more of the entire deal.

    6 votes

  4. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~health.mental

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    One of the things that really helped me in life was to recognize that the brain is going to chatter and I have no control over what it chatters about. The intrusive thoughts, self talk, and...

    One of the things that really helped me in life was to recognize that the brain is going to chatter and I have no control over what it chatters about. The intrusive thoughts, self talk, and whatever else will happen but I am not the conversation or chatter - just the witness of it. So I don't have to buy into it, agree with it, or argue with it. I just have to be.

    5 votes

  5. Comment on Hyprland is a toxic community in ~lgbt

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    The orange site's posting on this turned into the usual railing about wokeness, code of conducts, and anti trans complaints about pronouns. The tech geek community is at its best in part when it...

    The orange site's posting on this turned into the usual railing about wokeness, code of conducts, and anti trans complaints about pronouns. The tech geek community is at its best in part when it accepts people who are not typical and encourages them for their differences. I'm always sad when I see it turn into a place of hate.

    11 votes

  6. Comment on It’s the breakfast of champions no more: Cereal is in long-term decline in ~food

    D_E_Solomon
    Link Parent
    I really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some...

    I really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some variety. I usually need carbs in the morning and preferably something that isn't difficult to make. So breakfast is a struggle.

  7. Comment on Please suggest me some books from past decades and centuries that are not widely known classics but you value and would like people to discover in ~books

    D_E_Solomon
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    I really enjoyed the Alexandria Quartet by Durrell which was written in the 1950s/1960s. The books are set around WW1 and WW2 in Alexandria, Egypt under the very volatile end of the British...

    I really enjoyed the Alexandria Quartet by Durrell which was written in the 1950s/1960s. The books are set around WW1 and WW2 in Alexandria, Egypt under the very volatile end of the British colonial rule there. It's a big ball of romantic drama all told by different characters in each book. Durrell spent time living in Alexandria and it's also a love letter to the city.

  8. Comment on Anthony Fauci on Larry Kramer and loving difficult people in ~lgbt

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    Larry Kramer was a major organizer in Act Up! - which organized in reaction to the HIV/AIDs crisis especially back in the 80s and 90s. Anthony Fauci, before becoming the right wing bugaboo of...

    Larry Kramer was a major organizer in Act Up! - which organized in reaction to the HIV/AIDs crisis especially back in the 80s and 90s. Anthony Fauci, before becoming the right wing bugaboo of COVID, coordinated much of the US government's response to HIV/AIDs. They were often antagonists and argued heavily while pursuing much of the same goals. I thought Fauci's memorial article to Kramer to be touching.

    7 votes

  10. Comment on ‘Diversity fatigue’? Hollywood loses four DEI leaders in less than two weeks in ~movies

    D_E_Solomon
    Link Parent
    Yup - one of my theories - which I've pulled out of my butt mind you - is that having more focus on relentlessly quantifying DEI impact and how that hits the bottom line would really help. It's...

    Yup - one of my theories - which I've pulled out of my butt mind you - is that having more focus on relentlessly quantifying DEI impact and how that hits the bottom line would really help. It's one thing to run an initiative, but it's much better if you can show the initiative had this impact to employees and that's tied to this increase in profit. That keeps everyone honest and makes the case for DEI much better.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on ‘Diversity fatigue’? Hollywood loses four DEI leaders in less than two weeks in ~movies

    D_E_Solomon
    Link Parent
    First, in companies where the labor pool is very competitive, it's important to find ways to ensure staff who are from different backgrounds feel welcome in the workplace - otherwise, you may lose...

    First, in companies where the labor pool is very competitive, it's important to find ways to ensure staff who are from different backgrounds feel welcome in the workplace - otherwise, you may lose that part of the labor pool to a competitor.

    Second, there is a sense that different backgrounds and differing viewpoints lead to better outcomes. Consider that Disney wants movies that appeal to many demographics so that they can get as many viewers as possible. Having a more diverse team involved in the creation and production leads to a better chance of wider appeal.

    Whether DEI initiatives has met those two goals is a different conversation of course.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on You Don’t Need All That Complex/Expensive/Distracting Infrastructure in ~comp

    D_E_Solomon
    Link Parent
    Haha :) I worked as a sysadmin a long time ago before switching into SAP finance implementations :)

    Haha :) I worked as a sysadmin a long time ago before switching into SAP finance implementations :)

    1 vote

  14. Comment on You Don’t Need All That Complex/Expensive/Distracting Infrastructure in ~comp

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    I realized a bit ago that I would build projects for the joy of the infrastructure and tooling around them and not for the love of the project I was working on. Realizing that changed both how I...

    I realized a bit ago that I would build projects for the joy of the infrastructure and tooling around them and not for the love of the project I was working on. Realizing that changed both how I approach problems as well as the types of problems I work on.

    7 votes

  15. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~finance

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    I've noticed in my circles, that the well-to-do of them are buying the big fancy trucks instead of the luxury sedans or SUVs that they used to buy. These are white collar types buying the high end...

    I've noticed in my circles, that the well-to-do of them are buying the big fancy trucks instead of the luxury sedans or SUVs that they used to buy. These are white collar types buying the high end F150s and what not.

    I grew up listening to country music and always thought of pickup trucks on the redneck side of things. It's strange to me to see the change.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on United Methodist Church votes to maintain its opposition to same-sex marriage, gay clergy in ~humanities

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    I always feel for progressive churches and their struggle to remain ecumenical while still affirming their beliefs. I suspect that this will cause many of the progressive Methodist churches to...

    I always feel for progressive churches and their struggle to remain ecumenical while still affirming their beliefs. I suspect that this will cause many of the progressive Methodist churches to separate in the United States.

    This is a hunch - I don't have data - but it feels like liberal denominations and churches are in decline. I don't know the reason - lack of forceful belief, lack of a counterculture - but as a non practicing person, I've had really strong relationships with clergy and congregants from liberal churches. I'm sad to see their numbers dwindle.

    9 votes

  18. Comment on Mississippi players kneel during anthem in protest at local Confederacy rally in ~sports.basketball

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    The fact that we still have confederate marches in 2019 is disgusting. Traitors all of them.

    The fact that we still have confederate marches in 2019 is disgusting. Traitors all of them.

    4 votes

  19. Comment on What's your guitar (or other instrument) practice routine? in ~hobbies

    D_E_Solomon
    Link
    Thanks for the topic! I've been playing for about 4 years as an adult around mostly finger picking and classical type pieces. I vary the routine up, but I usually do some warmup - either exercises...

    Thanks for the topic!

    I've been playing for about 4 years as an adult around mostly finger picking and classical type pieces. I vary the routine up, but I usually do some warmup - either exercises that my teacher assigned or something that I notice is off in my playing. So earlier this week I was working on specific movement that was really awkward.

    Second, I usually play a piece or exercise that is easier or that I've played in the past. At that point the fingers are pretty loose and I'm in the groove.

    Finally, I get to the actual piece I'm focused on. If I have a recording of it, I listen to that first. Then, I usually take a section that I'm working, play through as much of it as I know, and then start working on individual measures. I mark up the measure with fingering and notes on the playing. A couple repetitions usually gets the measure sorted and then I move on. Obviously easier measures get less focus. Once all of that is done, I'll usually play through once or twice.

    I've been using an app to help get my ear trained, but I've been bad about using it of late. It's a bit tedious.

    Anyways, the routine usually takes 45 min or so. I'm an amateur and don't have a lot of time to play, but I play almost every day.

    4 votes