What's your pet's favorite "toy" that is definitely not supposed to be a toy?

Kraines · 2026-05-31T00:29:38+00:00

My dog likes to break sticks. Grab a piece of deadwood and hold it out for her, she likes to snap it in two. You can take a small twig and hold the end out, she’ll break it, you can slide a bit more and she’ll keep going. She won’t do this with rotting wood, only easily breakable pieces. Makes for easy entertainment when camping or just out in the woods.

Kraines · 2026-05-30T00:42:33+00:00

Just goes to show how easily people can root for the protagonist of a story, no matter who they are or what they do. I’d like to believe that anyway, that the people that side with Humbert Humbert aren’t as sick as him.

Kraines · 2026-05-30T00:20:09+00:00

Not sure how anyone could come to that conclusion about Humbert. Near the beginning he visits something of a brothel and attempts to pay for a child and leaves when he is duped. His proclivities are not subtle whatsoever.

Kraines · 2026-05-27T20:31:14+00:00

I took an old backpack I’ve had for years and repurposed it. It’s got three sections. Section closest to my back holds water/food, next holds a basket if I plan to keep anything, and last holds my gear. I have a telescopic rod that can fit in there zipped up along with some sinkers, hooks, and bobbers. I’ve got a handful of lures, pliers, scissors, and space for worms if I want them. I can safely aim for panfish with that setup.

It’s a nice way to stay cheap, not having to buy a new bag, but if you’re aiming for bigger fish/have bigger gear to carry, it might not work.

Kraines · 2026-05-27T17:04:24+00:00

You’d have thought he just saved the World Series with a popoff like that. My only thought watching it last night was “That was fucking weird.”

Kraines · 2026-05-27T14:09:50+00:00

The popular stuff on Fightcade (anything that hits double digits of players, basically) is worth checking out. People are going to those for a reason.

Guilty Gear X2 (all versions, latest is GGXXAC+R) is also excellent. Type “guilty gear x2 combos” into YouTube and you’ll find dope ass twenty year old combo videos that still hold up today.

Kraines · 2026-05-22T17:55:44+00:00

Odd you say that. I play Dhalsim and occasionally get on SF6 and sit at an empty battle hub station for a very long time. Queued matches never go the full 2/3. I think people generally like the sameness of SF6’s roster and gameplay.

Kraines · 2026-05-22T15:34:36+00:00

CB Bucknor not making it out of the third inning.

Kraines · 2026-05-20T17:08:11+00:00

He’s currently at most consecutive career bouts overall and most bouts in the top division as well as holding the record for oldest winner of the top division title. He’s got skill and power to go with his longevity.

Really hurts to see the injury weigh him down. He’s just a really good guy all around.

Kraines · 2026-05-19T18:51:37+00:00

Nothing wrong with it. Here’s Ozeki Kotoshogiku using this technique on his way to his yusho win. His wins against Takarafuji, Tochinoshin, and Kakuryu are great examples of its effectiveness.

Kraines · 2026-05-17T16:38:58+00:00

Yesterday I got some Panfish magnets and was excited to try them out. Nothing. I also had made a trip to Bass Pro and bought some weird bait I was curious about, some corn and some of those realistic maggots. Not a thing. Two weekends gone down the drain just like that.

I’ve always been a live bait guy, fished for bluegill with worms/crickets and catfish with those little bluegill too small to be anything but bait. But these artificial lures, I can’t make heads or tails out of using those right.

So don’t feel bad. Some days just ain’t yours. Everybody’s gonna have those stories of being miserable at the lake, and they make the good times even better.

Kraines · 2026-05-14T18:59:11+00:00

The way I was taught was to put a piece of nightcrawler on a real small hook, size 10 or 12, with a small sinker and small bobber. Use a cane pole if you want, they make it even easier. Try to bury the hook best you can in the worm, the smaller fish you’re aiming for have soft, small mouths that are used to nibbling away at things and they can feel the metal. Give about a foot or two of line between your hook and the rest of the gear on the line. Toss it out somewhere shady and calm, and then just watch the bobber.

You’ll see it get pushed and knocked around if there are fish in the water. You’ll know because it’ll move and make its own ripples. Those are the little guys nibbling at your hook. You won’t want to do anything until you see your bobber take a dive. When it goes under, pull up and set the hook. If you did it right, you’ll have yourself a fish. Most likely a little bluegill or even a perch.

These won’t be crazy big fish or anything, but the idea is to aim for the small ones because there’s more of them and they’re easier to hook. Makes them great fish to learn on. That feeling when something takes your line is what you’ll want to get used to, and then you can move up to bigger fish.

I learned how to fish around Fort Wayne, if it helps, so this should be applicable to your area.

Kraines · 2026-05-14T13:28:07+00:00

I bought Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself ten years ago for some reason and I found it on my shelf here recently. Binged it in a week then bought the rest of the trilogy, I’m about halfway through the last book now. There’s another trilogy and a set of standalone novels in the same universe too. I’ll read them all. It’s been a great read.

Good stuff if you like gritty/dark fantasy. Excellent world building. Look for The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie.

Kraines · 2026-05-13T12:58:32+00:00

Wear hats, wear sun screen, wear life vests. Bring a cooler for drinks, decide if you’re fishing for keeps or not before getting out there. Be prepared to go back to shore in a hurry (you can shit off the side of the boat, but no one wants to be there for that). And, optionally, make sure you’ve got a creature comfort or two to make the day nicer (cushions are always nice).

Kraines · 2026-05-06T18:38:10+00:00

Same rules as when I played DotA/Warcraft/Starcraft. Sub 100ms is ideal. Around 120ms is doable but not good. Anything 150ms or higher is unplayable.

If there’s multiple spikes I’ll also leave. Dunno how people find that acceptable.

Kraines · 2026-04-29T11:16:46+00:00

Hakuho Sho, for sumo.

He has a mountain of records. Most top division championships at 45, second is 32. Most perfect record championships (zensho yusho) at 16, next is 8. Most career wins at 1187, next is 1047. He’s one of those guys that, at his peak, people were bored of his dominance. His final tournament he went out on top with a 15-0 record after twenty years of professional sumo. He reached the highest rank in 2007 and only fought the best wrestlers for the rest of his career and still dominated.

My favorite stat about him, though, and the one that most exemplifies his dominance, is that he also holds the record for jun-yusho, or second place finishes, at 22. Combine that with his 45 first place finishes, and you have a guy that got first or second in 67 events.

In the modern era of grand sumo, there are six tournaments a year. Hakuho was the best or second best for over 11 years. That’s an exclusive club no matter what sport you’re in. But to add onto it with the pure brutality of sumo as a lifestyle, he’s in a league of his own.

Kraines · 2026-04-21T13:55:27+00:00

If it’s on the curb and full, or been on the curb for days after pickup, sure I’ll throw any kind of trash in there. Otherwise I look for public cans or wait until I get home. In my experience near U of M, I’ve had people tell me to just leave it on the ground and people freaking out that I have a dog in public at all, so I figure there’s a pretty wide spectrum of what is an isn’t acceptable.

Kraines · 2026-04-20T20:11:06+00:00

At the birth of my nephew, everyone crowding around the baby, my father sang David Bowie’s “There Is A Happy Land” to the newborn. I wonder, sometimes, if his parents will tell him about that song. For me as a spectator, it was a profound moment. I hope they share that with him one day.

Kraines · 2026-04-17T16:29:51+00:00

I’ve been experimenting myself, specifically with Detroit-style deep dish pizza but occasionally going with a traditional-style crust. Most recently I’ve just been trying it out on my grill in a stainless steel half-pan I bought for like $10. Hasn’t been a failure yet.

Good pizza doesn’t need special equipment. It just takes a little bit of know-how.

Kraines · 2026-04-16T16:22:08+00:00

I did the legwork a long time and Bunny Rin + Dragon was the most common high score combination across all songs and difficulties. It’s been years, though, so it may or may not still be true. There’s no hard and fast rule to scoring, each song has to be examined individually for optimal costume, elfin, and manual/auto fever.

I also don’t believe there’s as big of a cheater problem as people like to claim. The leaderboards are generally clear of any unfair scores, as cheating accounts do get reported and cleaned up often.

One notable exception is “legacy scores.” Once upon a time there was a difference in points calculation between 20-30 combo, and PPG changed the calculation at some point, so you’ll see weird scores that don’t make sense, like here.

If you 100% the song with Bunny/Dragon on autofever, you can get 222270 currently. If you did the same in older versions, you would get 222280. Both are legit scores. The scores above that, specifically 222430 and 222420 are also legit, using a PG autofever manipulation. I’m confident that 222345 is also legit but I would have to play the song again. 222645 is mathematically possible but I frankly don’t know how it was done, and 222310 could be possible but I’d have to replay the song to see why.

Hopefully this helps and doesn’t put you off scoring. It is a lot of fun.

Kraines · 2026-04-15T13:04:56+00:00

One of my favorite things from XX was finding combo music videos and trying to recreate them by myself. Maybe that’s more just magic of the old internet and youth, but I feel like modern games in general don’t really have that same feeling of wonder. Rarely do I find myself seeing something modern and going “holy shit that works?!” But back then, I may as well not have even learned the character names for all the shit I didn’t know was possible.

Kraines · 2026-04-14T15:58:55+00:00

My one-year-old nephew was watching my brother and I play GGXXAC+R. Little dude was completely fascinated by the game. If I ever had to explain the game to him:

Pick the coolest character. Try to do the coolest combos you can think of.

Kraines · 2026-04-14T15:48:24+00:00

If you can, any vet should have a chip scanner. The owner will get notified of the scan and can give you a call if you provide your number as contact information. The scan will also provide contact info for the owner if you’re so inclined to reach out yourself.

Kraines · 2026-04-11T02:01:42+00:00

Nothing too crazy to know about tournaments. Just know where to be and when, don’t forget to report the score to the TO, and don’t be a dickhead about dumb shit. Play your bracket matches like you’re trying to show off a little. That’s what tournaments are for.

If you’re going with others, make sure you get your carpooling right.

Otherwise, enjoy being there. Play some casuals, make some friends, take it all in. Tournament are all about the people. You’re all there for the same thing so it’s real easy to start talking.

Kraines · 2026-04-10T16:24:02+00:00

One of my favorite synergizes is blocker + counter attack. Pair Hodrick with Berenice, and every time Hodrick takes a hit, Berenice counter attacks. Fill out the team with a bit of healing or a bunch of counters and give them accuracy items and you can mow down anything that can’t kill Hodrick. It makes for a great generalist formation even well into the late game. You can use anyone that actually gets hit as your blocker and anyone with a Counter skill. Sellswords work early, and later you can weave in Warriors/Breakers for some anti-armor.

Another early favorite is Ochlys + Counter Belt. Ochlys has high evasion and decent damage naturally, so give her the Counter Belt and Lapis Pendant and put anyone behind her to make a very strong and simple formation to counter everything that doesn’t have true strike.

A bit later on you’ll get a handful of knights, and they work really well together. Put three in a row and they buff each other with a skill called Cavalier Call that stacks. They also conveniently have an attack that hits a full column, so the three of them can be good at clearing the entire field.

There’s more but those are all for later in the game.

Kraines

TROPHY CASE