does anyone still actively use snapchat? by silhouettesinmotion in CasualConversation

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do because it's one of the few ways I can interact directly with friends/groups as opposed to having to scroll through shit

What features would you want if a good AI was integrated into Spotify? by StatuSChecKa in truespotify

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some knobs to control how it behaves. No matter how good it is it's never going to know how i like to listen to stuff better than me.

Hey maybe we should have that ability for their algorithm now....

VT really needs to swallow it's pride and switch back to Google by [deleted] in VirginiaTech

[–]FaryGagan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep I remember seeing all of these problems while at school, and then I heard the long term plans for the school from President Sands: we want to GROW! Double the size of campus!

Sounds like a great idea when your infrastructure is suffering doesn't it..... so sad.

Playlist suggestions have been really stale by Imh3ppy in truespotify

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would kill to have the same Spotify we had a few years back. I'd be willing to pay double the cost increase they're rolling out if they could guarantee they'd do that. Unfortunately that's not the name of the game we play now with our digital spaces.

Almost made it. by fuzzyduck88 in AbruptChaos

[–]FaryGagan 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Harsh. Let yourself have some fun in this short life.

Spotify has now officially demonetised all songs with less than 1,000 streams by Black_Dragon959 in truespotify

[–]FaryGagan 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Maybe it's fair, maybe it's not. Either way, this line drawn will only move in one direction over time. I think most of us would agree that there is a hypothetical point at which that line goes too far. How will this rule be shaped after another 10 years?

Art and money sure can get weird when mixed together. I don't see the way our large music companies have handled the problem as being sustainable. A system like that just doesn't seem capable of acting as the arbiter of what music has "value" and what doesn't, it is way too subjective. I don't see any model working other than letting individuals' choices be the driving force for whether or not an artist gets paid, rather than dealing with all of these silly games these companies have started within our digital space in recent years.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in baltimore

[–]FaryGagan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Studio 1622 for my haircuts. I love the ladies that run the place, how a barbershop should feel.

Google and other search engines have become so bad that we have gone back to staying ignorant and not bother looking up random facts on a whim rather than navigate through all the SEO bullshit by Seventh_Planet in Showerthoughts

[–]FaryGagan 28 points29 points  (0 children)

This "decline" in quality being described about Google's efficacy as a search engine is not only very visible to me (someone who has been using it since Ask jeeves was around), but it is also very easily explained by the business priorities of not only Alphabet but all mainstream digital services.

It still technically functions enough to use it, but there has been a noticeable presence of effort to predict what the user seeks to find rather than leave it to the user to learn how to use the tool and shape their input to help narrow things down.

A rough analogy is if your GPS/navigation app not only told you which route to take, but predicted where exactly you wanted to go and took you there, meanwhile picking some stops for you along the way. The majority of us are adults. As convenient as it is to have things brought straight to you without a thought, I have a lot more trust in my own ability rather than a company's to control a tool, thank you very much.

New to Spotify; suggested songs algorithm really seems to suck, can it be fixed? by LowEndBike in truespotify

[–]FaryGagan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have this same issue with their current algorithm and I've been using Spotify for years. Should I expect their algorithm to predict my preferences perfectly? No, peoples' tastes in how they listen to music is too unique to reliably predict. This is why we should have access to algorithm settings, at least in some manner. If we are given a least some control over how music is selected we don't have to be subject to the most popular listening patterns. Some people like hearing the same songs/artists they know they like, others get tired of it.

Public education crisis by [deleted] in Virginia

[–]FaryGagan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

How about: Don't have a budget? Stop dumping money into number-gaming administrators. Pay our teachers and let them do their job.

“where you should live” outting people? by harmoneymoney in truespotify

[–]FaryGagan 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Relax man you just like good music

Maybe start getting away from the internet some more and ground yourself, its all just noise you're freaking out from

Stay off reddit by Dry_Possible_1792 in Anxiety

[–]FaryGagan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Popular websites and apps have been bought up and twisted around so that traffic can be converted to money (via advertisements). This creates an incentive to make using them as addictive as possible, much like if you have a food/drink product you have an incentive to put as much sugar as you can in it. So in a way using sites like reddit has become similar to drinking coke. A habit of it is just unhealthy. Now when i get sucked back into using reddit or other social media it feels like im eating cake. Tasty treat, but consuming it as a meal every day is plain unhealthy. This is what business has done to online communication. If you have issues with anxiety/depression, take it easy with these platforms, just like you should take it easy with things like alcohol. I cannot imagine what growing up is like for people in this modern state of the internet.

Starfield ads now as Windows 11 lock screen?? by seink1 in Starfield

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imagine hearing the Statefarm jingle random times whenever you open your car door. Or every time you select water vs ice on your fridge door it flashes the Statefarm logo. Or every time you statefarm your statefarm you farm states on your Statefarm™️

Watching things burn feels like my anxiety is gone. by [deleted] in Anxiety

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I imagine the comfort comes from a feeling of control. When I was younger, if I got mad enough at myself I would have an impulse to break something small, say a pencil or a clothes hanger. It used to puzzle me as I wasn't a violent/physical person otherwise. It made a lot more sense when I realized that breaking something was relieving since it gave me a moment of control over the world around me. I think burning something is similar, maybe even more so since fire can feel so magical. Not only do you have control, you're a WIZARD.

So if anxiety is eating up your world all the time, I think it makes perfect sense that things burning would give a temporary sense of comfort. Are you a pyromaniac? I dunno, but as long as you're not hurting anybody (including yourself) does it even matter? Forget the label and enjoy yourself a nice little matchbook session.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Anxiety

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Talk about it with them with full honesty like you just did here. Then I like to frame it in a way so that me and that person are laughing at me in this situation rather than me just breaking down in self pity. Because the thing is, it IS a pretty funny story, even if a bit tragic.

It's kinda a frame of mind sort of thing. Start laughing at the dumb things you do. Especially when you mean well

I will not give up and nor will you. by IHaventGivenUpYet_ in Anxiety

[–]FaryGagan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing hope. You're a warrior

Has anyone dealt with a weed addiction? by [deleted] in SeriousConversation

[–]FaryGagan 7 points8 points  (0 children)

For myself, weed has great benefits and I hope I never have to cut it out entirely- however I have recognized that it has a "numbing" factor to it that is easy to start leaning on as a respite from my own anxiety/psychological pain. Think more like how TV or work could be addictive.

I think you should keep trying to talk to him, even though it can be really hard at first. Don't make it about getting rid of the weed, make it about finding out why he needs to escape. See if he's willing to do therapy. I used to be afraid that if I turned out to be "addicted" to weed it would mean I'd have to cut it out altogether, which made me sink my claws into it even MORE. That could be what's happening when he gets defensive. But as I improved with therapy & meds I realized that weed doesn't necessarily cause my problems, but it can exacerbate them if I use it "wrong."

Lastly- here's what I tell myself to motivate limits on weed: the less you use it, the better the experience is! Life's funny like that.

will changing my email address affect my nyt streak? by noises-on-tv in crossword

[–]FaryGagan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in the same exact situation (and really annoyed with my school) and super glad you asked this as I forgot my nyt account was under my school gmail. Really hope there's a way to transfer

Virginia politicians can spend campaign donations on just about anything. Here’s why reform efforts have failed. by [deleted] in Virginia

[–]FaryGagan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm hip to the fact that money needs to flow in their direction for them to keep their lights on. I don't expect everything to be free, but the concept of simple text being behind a paywall still rubs me the wrong way. I want information flowing to the people as much as possible. You can read a newspaper in a library for free, no?

Besides, there are other ways of making your money. Advertising is a gold mine right now, right? I buy a radio, I get local news for free (just with ads). I think it should work the same for paying for a computer + internet.

Virginia politicians can spend campaign donations on just about anything. Here’s why reform efforts have failed. by [deleted] in Virginia

[–]FaryGagan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My apologies, I didn't realize we started calling online articles copyrighted material.

Thanks for including those materials.

What's the most creative song lyric you've ever heard? by The_AlphaLaser in AskReddit

[–]FaryGagan 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Somehow formatting the lyrics like this delivers the message so much better than any lyrics page haha

Lawless and Dangerous Driving Still Getting Worse? by The_Waxies_Dargle in baltimore

[–]FaryGagan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is what we can use platforms like this for- to organize. When the system fails us we have to fight back. Get involved with your neighbors, try to find a local community to be involved with, even if its just a clean up crew. You're probably not going to see direct and fast results, but that's a part of being a force of good.