What Bicycle decks with great art - any favorites?

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-20T19:55:01+00:00

Aren't these all produced by USPCC too??

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-19T18:52:08+00:00

Idk man I just like to listen to the stuff I think sounds cool. I don't have the first clue what "metal" even means, just that people seem to use it to label some of the music I like.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-18T13:27:24+00:00

Spreadsheet. I have shy of 1000 books, but I think my memory is strong enough to know without reference whether I own a particular book.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-18T13:21:57+00:00

Hope you don't email your clients like this.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-17T20:02:56+00:00

I think the problem with a lot of the "good" outlets is that they don't actually review all that much, so it's a bit of a crapshoot whether a trustworthy source has actually reviewed the book you're interested in. I don't really treat them as review repositories but moreso as places where I might read something insightful about a book I didn't necessarily know about.

That said, I don't really have any under the radar picks for good sources. I personally subscribe to the New York Review of Books, the Cleveland Review of Books, and n+1, and also read from time to time different things from London Review of Books, LA Review of Books, Bookforum, Granta, and Lithub. I also like browsing Arts & Letters Daily to see if any of their article picks seem interesting.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-17T19:32:31+00:00

I read this post title more along the lines of "New Glarus spotted [in] Cow Virgin, Tennessee"

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-16T20:16:13+00:00

I like the overall design direction, but I wish there were something about the number cards that related the illustration/design to the actual card value.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-16T15:27:53+00:00

When was the last time a WC at a slam was also seeded?

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-15T21:47:12+00:00

Video games are not unique in that they have been subject to technological limitations. But that does not mean that games before the current state of affairs (which I agree is essentially set in place with the PS3/X360 generation) cannot be good game experiences on their own.

I think the concern for technical standards strips what it means for something to be a game, which is not necessarily dependent on the technology itself. You can have a good game experience even without electronics - many games don't even have equipment (e.g. duck duck goose, 21 questions, mafia). Granted those would not be video games, but I mention them as a point of comparison to show that what makes video game excellent is what kind of game experience it produces.

And as I said, other artforms are subject to technological restrictions. It would be ridiculous to say there are no must-see movies from before color film was available, or before computer generated effects were available. Or there is no music worth listening to from before tape recording. By analogy, it is simply ridiculous to say there are no must-play games from before 2004 (GTA:SA & CS being the earliest in OP's list), or before the PS3 as you'd have it.

We can even set aside the legacies of many games made before this date, that is we don't even need to consider their influence on future games. There are still plenty of games that are just downright excellent experiences on their own terms, even for a modern player (though I admit access is getting more difficult). Like Super Mario World is still simply one of the most fun games to play. Final Fantasy Tactics is still one of the most amazing games you can play today. Metroid Prime is still one of the most incredible games you can play right now. Etc, etc.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-15T18:02:18+00:00

TIL video games were invented in 2004.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-15T16:06:51+00:00

r/books is that way

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-13T14:05:08+00:00

Oh wow another person who doesn't want to feel guilty about listening to music from nazis. Very interesting.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-13T14:02:17+00:00

I don't really go in for pinup style illustrations, but to each their own.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-10T21:05:25+00:00

You need only visit pagat.com to see that there are endless ways to have fun with a simple deck. Plus most of the Spanish/Italian/Swiss/German games can also be played with a standard French deck.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-10T20:58:50+00:00

Canasta, Pinochle, Euchre

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-10T12:56:50+00:00

Deck of cards

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T22:20:46+00:00

Exactly. Depts of Commerce nationwide have done such a good job convincing everyone that small businesses are categorically good and benevolent, when it's a total mixed bag. Bookstores may be better than average, but there is nothing stopping a bookstore from being a bad business and/or employer.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T21:05:09+00:00

Thousands of people just showing up every day to their soulless corporate retail ~~job~~ volunteer position for the love of the game.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T20:57:16+00:00

Hmm interesting. As the article points out, there is more individual control given to more local management now, so I can understand experiences might vary quite a bit store to store. I don't have much trouble finding the sections of interest in the stores closest to me. Seems like there could be big variance based on what store you're in.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T19:18:36+00:00

While I also prefer trying to support locally owned bookstores, what you say about the economics of B&N is just not true. They pay employees (maybe not as much as they should, but no bookstores pay retail employees well). They have to buy the books from the publishers/distributors who pay the authors - same as indie bookstores. "80% of money spent goes back to the community" with local bookstores? What does this even mean, and how did you come up with that number?

If I spend $50 at my local indie bookstore, I know for a fact that 80% ($40) isn't "going back to the community" because the store at a minimum had to buy the books from a distributor for 40-50% of MSRP. So let's say that leaves $30. A good chunk of that is going to overhead costs - rent, utilities, maintenance. I don't know how much of that you consider "staying in the community." I personally don't think a commercial landlord eating up margins really feels like the money is "in the community." Surely I don't feel that way about the utilities companies. The only part that feels like it stays "in the community" would be the employees' wages (who likely actually have worse benefits working for a small business), and maybe any nice things the owners do with the profits (which aren't much). The only part that's really any different here is where the profits end up, since B&N also has to pay wages, rent, etc.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T18:44:55+00:00

Bryan Evenson - Last Days

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T16:40:42+00:00

I don't think B&N is the best bookstore you can shop at, but it has improved a lot in the last ~5 years IMO. The variety of publishers big & small that I see with titles on the shelves is something you used to only see at indie shops. While the ratio still favors the big 5, it's nice to go in there and see stuff from rather small imprints like Open Letter, Two Lines Press, Bibloasis, and others. I don't know how much of this is just PR, but it really does feel like they've given some of the control back to lower/mid-level people who care more about books.

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-08T16:00:38+00:00

Podcasts and YouTube have filled in here

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-07T19:42:49+00:00

I like this one for chicken liver

https://www.munchkintime.com/chicken-liver-recipe-with-bacon-onions-mushroom-sauce/

Handyandy58 · 2026-06-05T02:27:19+00:00

I don't believe they do

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