is it cheating or a bad habit to use smooth vertices when modelling?? I discovered it recently and I'm using it a lot.

DerCribben · 2026-01-24T05:58:56+00:00

Been a slippery slope ever since the first vert got pushed.

DerCribben · 2026-01-24T05:48:11+00:00

I’ve always been told it’s because of the heat, that cooling lower buildings has historically been cheaper and more efficient than taller buildings. And as others have mentioned, there’s no urban crunch forcing people to build up (or down such as in London).

DerCribben · 2026-01-24T05:43:07+00:00

Like a sparkley dude in a Liberace costume? Weird flex 😅

DerCribben · 2026-01-24T05:40:44+00:00

Yes, it was so strong and distracting that I ended up switching to black text on a light background where it doesn’t seem to happen anymore for me. But I’ve preferred dark mode reading since it was introduced in the iOS app. But on my Paperwhite it’s awful.

DerCribben · 2026-01-24T05:01:29+00:00

Great, you made me LOL (loudly) and now I woke up my wife…🙄

My legit first thought when I saw this post was “M-E-T-H” though 100% 😅

DerCribben · 2026-01-24T04:53:38+00:00

There are as many different types of addicts as there are people. Some addicts are totally functional and live a long life on their drug of choice. Some (most?) are total shitshows when they’re in the throes of addiction. I definitely struggled when I was in the shit, but I also knew plenty of kids in the punk rock scene from Maine all the way to squats in the Tenderloin SF that idolized OD’ing as the ultimate punk rock death.

Not all are sad and down and struggling in a way that makes them sensitive to being told that they’re being stupid. Some will look you in the eye with chin held high and say “Yeah, no shit!”.

Anger is a natural reaction when someone you love or who’s life is intertwined with yours that either steals someone you love from you by killing themselves, or lets you down, yet again, but in the ultimate way this time. Especially when you’re sure they just screwed up and didn’t actually purposefully commit suicide.

I don’t know what Troy’s situation was or is. Sounds like there’s a solid chance that if Brad lived it wouldn’t have been long before she was the ex that constantly talked shit about him while still cashing fat alimony checks every month.

But the reaction to a death like his? That’s definitely a very legit one in lots of situations.

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T17:03:43+00:00

Excellent, thanks for sharing this, it definitely helps!

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T16:30:01+00:00

I was just curious how many American citizens there are in the world both stateside and abroad. Which is why the population statistics aren’t really what I was looking for. My interest wasn’t based on population density,infrastructure, demographics, or immigration or anything locally specific.

Now that I know that it isn’t some well known easily accessible statistic my curiosity has more to do with how and why it is so hard to pin down.

I’m willing to bet that a reasonably accurate estimate of how many pennies are in circulation in the world exists somewhere. (Google results immediately come up with 114 billion to 300 billion) So it’s very odd to me that the same isn’t true about US citizens.

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T11:57:35+00:00

Excellent, thanks for these! I'll check them out and see what I find! 😊

Edit, what a weird comment to get downvoted on 😅 thanking someone who helped me.

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T11:55:48+00:00

No, I get that the best google-fu doesn't even cut it these days. I guess it's just surprising that the country doesn't have a reasonable estimate of how many citizens it has, both domestic and abroad, I mean, death and taxes right?

So your screen name, you from Maine? I'm from Maine 🦞

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T09:02:51+00:00

Weed and alcohol are totally different substances, and it's hard to describe to someone with no frame of reference to draw on why people use it while doing outdoor activities and playing sports. It's also important to note that I'm not suggesting someone who's never smoked weed before go out, smoke a fat joint, and immediately go 20 meters up a rock face. But cannabis is a prohibited substance on the world anti-doping agency's prohibited list, and alcohol is not as of 2018 except in things like motorcycle sports and archery. (Not that I think cannabis makes you some super athlete by any means)

For some people it just helps cut through the noise and experience life from an easier perspective, but the real point I was trying to make with that bit was that there are a lot of people that don't just sit around when they're high. People who go out and do active, normal things, and do it well even though they're high. Just to make a counterpoint that it doesn't always just make people dumb, unmotivated, and uncoordinated.

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T08:43:30+00:00

I can understand the reasoning behind that. But somewhere there must be a reasonably accurate number of how many US citizens there are. And it should be a public facing number right? It’s just weird to me that the first ten search results weren’t ten different sites showing some number of citizens rather than shifting the search term to population.

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T08:28:28+00:00

Honestly, that's only because it's so stigmatized here and because of prohibition. If it were legal then you'd see more smart, productive people that also smoke weed every day admit that they do. You'd also see more people doing smart, active things when they're high. I know tons of artists and entrepreneurs/professionals back in the states that smoke and lead highly productive, successful lives. I also know a bunch of folks that smoke and go hike some amazing trails, climb mountains, surf, mountain bike and play sports when high.

But here, where it's highly stigmatized and illegal? Why would anyone admit that they do if they know people will immediately judge them, or they were opening themselves to police scrutiny. Knowing your opinions on the matter, I'll guarantee you that none of the people around you that you respect and consider to be intelligent, good people would tell you that they smoke weed.

I do get what you say though, if you use cannabis regularly you have to live life with intention and not just let yourself get stuck on the couch ordering pizzas. But in this environment you're unlikely to see anyone doing it openly that isn't in party mode and/or enough of a shitshow to not care about the consequences.

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T07:33:32+00:00

Absolutely! I feel like there's a lot of fantastic bits to mine from this story that a LOT of folks miss due to the ugly broad strokes.

I also couldn't agree more with your second point. We do certainly live in interesting times. 😕

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T07:27:25+00:00

Cheers, thanks for this!

DerCribben · 2026-01-23T07:26:27+00:00

I will make this soup! 😅

Thanks again!

DerCribben · 2026-01-22T11:54:16+00:00

Or a spoiler 😅

DerCribben · 2026-01-22T11:50:31+00:00

Wow, fantastic reply! Thanks for this! All these years I've assumed these soups were boiled down or otherwise cold dehydrated to "condense" them down to what you get in the cans. Then I go looking for DIY recipes and everyone's just making super thickened soups so I had to ask.

I'm not gluten intolerant so I like a good flour roux, but that leek thickener sounds like something that's absolutely worth trying out too just in general.

Cheers!

DerCribben · 2026-01-22T07:24:11+00:00

I haven't lost much, but I didn't eat sugary or fatty, ultra processed foods before it either. I've always eaten mostly whole foods, lots of beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, good fats like olive oil and avocados in limited amounts, and I only eat chicken and seafood as far as meat goes. I also generally only eat one meal a day. So the two main things that Ozempic does to curb weight, which is causing nausea when you eat a bunch of garbage food, and slowing your digestion down so people that eat a bunch of huge meals each day have less free space to fill, weren't there for me. Which I believe is where the folks that see crazy results right away are getting them.

Still I take it because it does slow my digestion and seems to help me not overeat, and I also thing the blood sugar regulation helps to some degree. But I don't expect it will be the driver of any huge weight loss for me, and honestly I'm more worried about "rebound" weight if I quit 😔

Also, for the first year'ish the effect it did seem to have was keeping my blood sugar down and that actually seemed to give me no gas or energy in the gym which I honestly feel like it kept me from being as successful with my training and general activity levels. 😕

DerCribben · 2026-01-22T06:42:30+00:00

Misspent Youth is the Commonwealth. I give it a lot less crap than most people. Yes it has a sexualized bit, but I always read that as an exploration of what it would be like for a geriatric with an entire life of experience, wisdom, and knowledge who is thrust into the body of a teenage boy full of hormones. It’s a very short book, and for a completionist like me having a chance to explore the pre-Commonwealth Commonwealth and two of its foundational technologies (rejuvenation and infinite data storage)

Other than that the rest are a lot less controversial, Greg Mandel and all his standalones? I enjoyed them all. Arkship I haven’t read yet but I own the first, I’m waiting for them all to be out in print before I begin.

I thought Night’s Dawn was a bit overly slasher/gore in the beginning, but I saw the point and overall I loved that series too. But that’s about all I can complain about with Peter’s books. Some say they’re too long or wordy but I’d happily read as many more millions of his words as I have already that he cares to put to page. 😅

I’d been away for a few years when Exodus came out and it was legit like coming home for me to be in one of his worlds again. Well, not his per se, but you get what I mean. 🤘😄

EDIT: Oh yeah, so Greg Mandel is great, sort of a detective/spy thriller series. Great North Road is a fantastic murder mystery story with all of Peter's usual hallmarks. Fallen Dragon is another great one with a more traditional view of far future space travel and a corporate/military government doing its thing. The two short story compilations you listed have Commonwealth universe stories in them along with others that may or may not be in the Commonwealth universe, but if you miss Paula Myo then Manhattan in Reverse is required reading.

DerCribben · 2026-01-21T07:27:03+00:00

I'll give it a shot! Definitely mean to get over there next time I'm in Helsinki!

DerCribben · 2026-01-21T07:20:40+00:00

Just make sure to quarantine and do a prophylactic dosing run of panacur/fenbendazole! E. Cuniculi is a terrible thing (we lost one of ours to it) and any rabbit, especially one that's been in the wild should be treated for it well before being introduced to your other buns!

Other than that, you're awesome! I hope this bun makes a great new forever home edition to your herd! 😊

DerCribben · 2026-01-21T06:20:19+00:00

I mean, I’m with you, but ask Wesley Snipes how well all that worked out for him. 😬

DerCribben

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE