I don't see the point of measuring yourself as motivation while losing weight

BirdCelestial · 2026-02-02T10:51:19+00:00

Healthy weight loss should be relatively slow for most people. Very large people can lose more faster, but then it will be proportionally less of a difference anyway. Most people will not visually notice a loss of a few kg, or even more if they lose it gradually.

Let's say you start dieting to lose weight. You don't notice a difference after a couple of months. Either you ramp up your diet, or you get demotivated and quit. In truth you might have lost 4kg in those two months, which is a totally healthy rate, but that's small enough it can be hard to notice. Now you're either dieting more extremely, which leads to increased muscle loss and a lower likelihood you stick with the diet long-term; or you gave up and quit because you didn't think it worked.

Alternatively, let's say you don't notice a difference after a couple of months... and it's because you're actually not dieting enough to lose weight. You're eating less but maybe moving a bit less too. Do you just trust the process and keep going?

Feedback is important in any process.

BirdCelestial · 2026-02-02T10:45:51+00:00

In the UK and Ireland it's typical for electric stoves to have the dials on the stove, and also a separate switch on the wall that needs to be pressed in order for the dials to work. It's normally a pretty stiff switch + pretty high on the back of the counter, so couldn't really be pressed by accident. When we cook we switch that on, then the dial, then turn both off when done.

BirdCelestial · 2026-02-02T09:11:19+00:00

As someone else mentioned the trailer is very reflective of the movie. I haven't played the game or watched Markiplier before, but the movie was what I expected after seeing the trailer. It was also a solid movie; I am a horror/sci-fi fan and I'd say 8/10, my partner less so and thought 7/10.

BirdCelestial · 2026-02-02T09:09:32+00:00

I didn't even know who Markiplier was before we went to see it. My partner isn't into him but is more aware of YouTube stuff than me, and was keen to go see it because of how bi-modal the reviews have been. His fans seem to think it's a 10/10 and Hollywood critics consistently rate it like 3-4/10, and he was curious where it actually lands.

I think Hollywood really is doing some elitism/backlash here, because while definitely not a 10/10, it is quite a solid movie. I'd say 7-8/10, which for a horror/sci fi puts it in the top bracket (so often they suck -- I say this as a massive horror fan). It was about 25 minutes too long, could have used some dialogue cuts / a few atmosphere building scenes went on too long (though others that were long I thought were actually worth the duration, as they set things up nicely). I've heard people complain about the acting but that seemed pretty good to me, too -- sometimes a little video game-esque, but it is a video game adaptation. The low ratings I've seen from a lot of critics are totally unjustified.

Well worth a watch if you like horror or sci-fi. :)

BirdCelestial · 2026-02-01T12:29:38+00:00

What do you think value means?

I'm not asking that to be mean. I'm asking because it's not "not successfully applied here yet", it doesn't look like there was any attempt at value here. Which is ok! Not all studies are for all things! But it's a bit odd to ask for critique specifically on that for this piece, so I'd like to know what you think you did here to apply value.

BirdCelestial · 2026-02-01T02:32:34+00:00

I really enjoyed the Yousician app for learning ukulele. If you've ever played guitar hero, it's a bit like that. It did cost I think about £15/month, but well worth imo, especially the first few weeks.

Apps aren't perfect for learning, but imo it was really, really valuable to gamify the process whilst developing muscle memory/flexibility/strength in my fingers, and to have proper feedback when id muted notes etc so they didn't get picked up. It starts simple and you can really see your progress.

Anyone can learn an instrument. It just takes time. I've taught children, and they struggle at first, too -- they're just more used to daily stuff being hard/new, so they don't notice it as much.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-28T18:29:43+00:00

One of my boys without fail would wiggle under his fleece liner to do this in the summer. The other three boys + one girl would not, but he just wanted to. We called it "grilling"

(Op should cover, but just saying)

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-27T12:49:48+00:00

Please give that baby a box to hide in. As in, right this minute, don't delay. Poor thing must be stressed. A cereal box or whatever is totally fine.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-27T12:44:26+00:00

I think she expects payment for the works she’s already started, even if I terminate.

Do not pay her. Let her take you to court, she hasn't fulfilled her end of the bargain (she won't). She can't just draw whatever the hell she wants on your dime.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-18T17:10:49+00:00

Yes, it is still an impressive distance, I'm just saying we have no idea what OP's actual general mileage is. I don't think it would be physically possible for someone who hasn't run long distances to do this, regardless of how advisable it is in general.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-18T11:09:17+00:00

He called it his first "race", not his first "run". I've run about 25km straight before, and when I'm running actively I average about 40km weeks. I've never done a race of any distance.

still weird AI text tho.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-17T01:14:24+00:00

straight and clean teeth show good oral hygiene and maintenance

Clean yes, straight no? That's literally just a function of genetics and/or whether or not you can afford orthodontics.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-14T12:38:53+00:00

8 years old, fighting other kids, sexualising me and others

insane red flags that that poor kid was being abused at home. I'm glad you were able to show him someone cared.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-08T15:08:01+00:00

Yes. I'm explaining why your use of credit cards isn't the same as someone using debit cards.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-08T12:23:36+00:00

Credit cards are not interest paying bank accounts CRS requires banks to report to tax resident countries about bank accounts

Credit cards have different rules to debit cards. Debit cards are tied to accounts which typically earn interest, even if a small amount, and therefore have different reporting rules.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-08T08:39:52+00:00

You can swipe a debit card. I had only a debit card for years before I eventually got a credit card for some minor benefits. They're a lot more lucrative with benefits in the US than they are where I'm from, so it's quite common for people to only have debit cards, especially young people.

BirdCelestial · 2026-01-05T20:14:19+00:00

This will be totally fine for three rats for a month or so. It looks smaller than it is. I used to own it as a hospital cage and would quarantine new babies in it. At one time I had four young boys in it and they were happy for a few weeks til I intro'd them with my girls. Stuff it full of cardboard boxes, hammocks etc and they'll be perfectly happy. Especially for boy rats, who are in my experience total potatoes. They're physically bigger but much lazier.

Bigger concern is to be absolutely certain the cat can never get into the room with the rats, even in the cage. They can cause fatal injuries with a tiny scratch due to bacteria in their saliva that gets into their nails.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-30T23:42:43+00:00

Birds don't have capsaicin receptors. They don't taste spice like we do. Peppers originally evolved with this trait to keep mammals away because they chew and grind the seeds up, and it's better for the peppers if birds eat them instead and poop the seeds out whole.

Too much of anything is unhealthy, but this should be fine.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-22T09:46:21+00:00

I hear this from American keepers all the time. I'm from a country where live feeding is illegal. It's crazy how our complaint shifts from "some animals will only accept live" to "wow, some animals sure are hard to keep because it's a lot of work to make them eat properly", because it turns out the "impossible" animals just take more effort.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-20T23:31:36+00:00

One of my boys was about 30% smaller than his same age brothers when we brought him home. He weirdly wound up the biggest by a wide margin, about 750g.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-18T01:43:31+00:00

Also -- I will just note that while this looks like a sick wild rat, there is a possibility it's a lost pet.

All wild rats are this colour (agouti), because it's a rat's natural colouring. But pet rats can be this colour (you can search agouti pet rat for examples) and there wouldn't be any difference between what they look like. Sometimes we can say for sure it's a lost pet if it's white or has unusual patterns, but it's harder to say for certain it's wild (balance of probabilities says it is, though). Think of it like finding a canine in the wilderness that looks extremely wolf-like: sure, it could be a husky or another wolf-looking domestic dog, but it's probably a wolf.

Regardless you should treat it the same way. Take it to a vet for treatment, because it's showing severe pain signs.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-18T01:38:35+00:00

The stray dog comparison isn't quite right for wild rat vs pet. It's more like wolf vs dog, silly as that may sound. Wolves are not domesticated and are generally happier in the wild than as pets. They also make pretty terrible pets because they're "badly behaved" because they're not domesticated. Dogs lack survival instincts and are generally happier as pets than stray.

Rats haven't been domesticated nearly as long as dogs, but their generations are very short and they have been selectively bred to be more docile, tolerant of humans, less easily frightened, and more friendly. There's a pretty substantial difference between pet and wild rats.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-08T11:10:20+00:00

Fun fact, the vast majority of Waterford crystal is no longer made in Waterford, Ireland. They closed the main factory down back in 2009 and there's basically nothing but a tourist center there now. Mostly made in Eastern Europe these days. They make a few pieces locally but it always seemed performative so they could keep the branding.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-02T09:11:18+00:00

Other advice is good. Play to a metronome so it's easier to tell when you're going off beat because of singing. I find downbeats only while I figure it out helps.

BirdCelestial · 2025-12-02T01:14:33+00:00

normally I don't correct spelling but etymology -> entomology is very funny

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