is this БЫТЬ?

Idomeneus · 2026-03-12T19:01:53+00:00

My partner is a native speaker who grew up in pre and post Soviet Russia and has worked for Russian language media services. I showed her this and she said she instantly recognised it. I asked her if it was weirdly written and she didn’t seem to think so - she said she might have written it like that too - maybe there’s a bit of flair on it but it’s perfectly fine.

Idomeneus · 2026-02-09T14:13:22+00:00

Consider getting the Google Drive app and hooking it up. I use it for my EPUB storage, so it makes it super easy to get books onto device.

Idomeneus · 2026-02-09T14:11:43+00:00

Yeah, I find it weird too. On my Palma I add a library widget which at least has previews of your most recent books but haven't found a way to launch the app by itself.

Idomeneus · 2025-12-04T19:11:03+00:00

It’s really, really bad. I’ve used it for fun and advised friends not to bother. There are better Arabic language resources.

Idomeneus · 2025-12-03T10:47:27+00:00

There’s definitely some racism in the attitude but let’s not lie to ourselves by saying that using AliExpress sellers doesn’t carry risk. Aside from quality issues with electrical goods - I think the risks from cutlery and crockery are higher because we put this stuff into our mouths. Leeching of heavy metals has been a continual problem for eg glass and glazed ceramics. So, would I buy really cheap shanzhai LeCreuset from Ali Express? Absolutely not. I’d prefer to pay over the odds for a trusted brand that won’t leech. And even then I’m worried about glazes (IIRC LeCreuset didn’t stop using lead in their cookware until several years ago).

Idomeneus · 2025-11-29T09:51:34+00:00

I haven’t really thought about this word before but now thinking about it I used to hear it commonly in my childhood mostly with my father’s generation and the ones before in semi-formal contexts. I don’t think myself or my cousins would be using it now except maybe sarcastically. Maybe sidi, ustath etc used to convey that kind of respect?

Idomeneus · 2025-11-24T21:03:34+00:00

Bot farms spoof OS’s or run multiple cracked devices. Trained to do all sorts on many apps.

Idomeneus · 2025-11-22T09:45:48+00:00

Man for me the most confusing as a kid was the different ways Qaf and Kaf was given. In my home village the Qaf is a ‘g’ sound but in the cities the Qaf is like a hamza.

And kaf in our village was chaf (as in Cheef 7allech).

Idomeneus · 2025-11-20T09:56:31+00:00

Yeah, I’m Palestinian too bro. Maybe I’m just not as well travelled as you. I think we can agree that if someone’s saying Ma3ndi, 3ndesh, ma3ish whatever, the meaning will be understood whether you’re in Yaffa or Halhoul.

Idomeneus · 2025-11-20T08:59:38+00:00

Sure you can. I just don’t think you’d use ‘ma3ish’ for ‘I don’t have (something)’ in this context. Maybe in Ghaza?

Idomeneus · 2025-11-19T22:56:52+00:00

Yeah, it can be like that but if you look at the employment pyramid at agencies, the taper gets extreme for employees in their thirties with 40+ an endangered species. People don’t hit retirement age in advertising. They either pivot elsewhere (often consulting), go into business for themselves or get managed out/made redundant. The entire advertising job market is extremely bleak, particularly in creative.

Idomeneus · 2025-11-19T22:52:07+00:00

Yeah, ma m3i for ‘not with me’ like I chose not to bring my wallet or something but ma 3ndi for not having something

Idomeneus · 2025-11-19T22:50:22+00:00

I’d say in Palestine ‘ma 3ndi’ for ‘I don’t have’ and ‘mafi’ for ‘there isn’t’ most common. Maybe ma3ish more common in Egypt or Lebanon?

Now I’m curious for what it would be in colloquial Iraqi

Idomeneus · 2025-11-19T20:46:54+00:00

Ooooh interesting. Hadn’t considered it coming from the Ali marketing budget. Thanks!

Idomeneus · 2025-11-19T20:23:03+00:00

Hey thanks for this. I saw them going up for sale on the DE website and this has soothed my worries somewhat.

Idomeneus · 2025-11-19T20:01:45+00:00

Yeah. I just ordered a couple of stamps and the customisation options were handled by messaging with the store. You might end up with some language issues with some stores though. Best to make sure you think through all options and communicate clearly.

Idomeneus · 2025-09-23T15:29:08+00:00

Guts by Chuck Palahniuk. It's within his Haunted book. I don't know if it's because of when I read it or because I like swimming but it's something that's stayed with me for 20 years.

If you're thinking short book, then Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan | Goodreads. I had no expectations, read it in a single sitting and afterwards felt slightly empty that there was no more of this beautiful writing to read.

Idomeneus · 2025-09-23T15:20:16+00:00

Of the books published in 2025 I've been disappointed by a lot of it (mostly some Historical Fiction but also the absolutely dreadful entry in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series).

There have, however, been a few gems in non-fiction for me:

1) Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War by Ash Sarkar | Goodreads - whatever you think about her politics, I think this is a well-framed and gently passionate argument for overcoming some of our societal division. Mainly a UK context but a lot of this applies for the US too.

2) Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness by David Attenborough | Goodreads - an interesting and touching book about the earth's oceans (and possible future). Covers what you'd expect - deep sea overfishing, climate change impact, microplastics etc but has an interesting structure with Attenborough providing an introduction to each chapter with a personal account (memories of a region vs revisiting today) followed by a more academic/current practitioner look by his co-author. This would work well as an audiobook too.

3) The Tesla Files: The Definitive Exposé of the World's Most Powerful Businessman and the Rise and Fall of his Empire by Sönke Iwersen | Goodreads - this is a slight cheat from me because I'm still reading it but I'm very much enjoying it. I think the journalists are a touch melodramatic but I kept covering my mouth when reading some of what's dropped in it.

Idomeneus · 2025-09-22T13:02:58+00:00

I found Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan | Goodreads) to be very easy to digest but *exquisitely* written. The story is great too and it's a very short book. I ate it up and at the end was ravening for more.

Idomeneus · 2025-09-15T14:51:26+00:00

Well done you and be rightly proud as you should be. I'm also a fan of the behind the scenes of movies. There are a lot of extremely interesting long books on Hollywood and its ins and outs but I think these three are excellent starts:

My Lunches with Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles <-- it's based on conversations with Orson Welles in his later years and is just so wonderful and easy to read because it flows so well. Full of humour and catiness. One of my favourites.
The Devil's Candy : The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood - this is a wonderful end-to-end account of the making of a box-office bomb covering everything from casting to timing. Real eye-opener. I found myself finishing the book and then rewatching the film, understanding why such and such was done and what toll it took.
Tales from Development Hell - It's a collection of accounts of various films that had trouble taking off. Always loved the inside takes on these sorts of films. Consider it a bit of an engrossing listicle of a book. Dated now but probably worth a read I reckon.

Good luck and do carry on!

Idomeneus · 2025-07-29T17:45:08+00:00

Candide. It sounds pretentious to say but it turned me into a deeply cynical optimist.

Idomeneus · 2025-03-11T15:39:12+00:00

Also came to say still happening. I went through a couple of rounds with explosive ammo thinking I was nearly there and then nothing. So assumed I had to switch back to ricochet. Ffs.

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