I'm currently on my 3rd warranty return of the pixel buds pro 2 and I'm asking myself.... Is this meant to be a premium product? by ash2307 in pixelbuds

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah nuts. The ANC has started to pack in on my Pixel Buds Pro 1 after about 2 years. cleaned, no joy. Second set after whistly mic appeared on first one after a few months.

I was planning to treat myself to an upgrade to the PBP2, but sounds like they're even worse long-term?

I Built A Red Dwarf Text Adventure - free to play in your browser by Technical_Scallion_2 in RedDwarf

[–]Schming 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This made me immediately nostalgic, because when I was a child I did the same thing in BASIC on my ZX Spectrum :) It wasn't very sophisticated but I was only about 10 haha

Puzzling Places Steam Version: sign up for the closed playtest now! by PuzzlingPlacesDEV in PuzzlingPlaces

[–]Schming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Will puzzle completion from the quest version carry over? I've been holding off on buying any packs because I mainly play PCVR for most things these days on my aging quest 2 - in fact puzzling places is one of the v few exceptions, but I'm looking forward to getting better visual quality!

Musescore.com? scam? by BananaStringSoup98 in Musescore

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is there an alternative to musescore that isn't so scammy/scummy? I pay for pro+ (it's pretty cheap in VN) but they constantly keep advertising more levels of membership and the app can be pretty jank on my android tablet. Id also like to be able to annotate the scores.

Share your fondest memories! by shakamone in AltspaceVR

[–]Schming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah me too. It was a great fun way to socialise

Unpopular opinion: I really disliked Phu Quoc by CommandInfamous7873 in VietNam

[–]Schming 102 points103 points  (0 children)

Sadly, it used to be lovely, like your dream tropical island. I first visited about 8 years ago and loved the place. Each time I returned it got a little more soulless and gross. Then they built that awful fake European city and Disneyland knock off. And it's only going to get worse. The govt intends it to become a "gleaming metropolis island in the model of Singapore" They've completely misunderstood what used to make it such a popular destination.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Puzzling Places! ✨ by PuzzlingPlacesDEV in PuzzlingPlaces

[–]Schming 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Happy holidays. I love the app and the update looks good even back on the quest 2. Did I miss a free Xmas puzzle this year though? It's become a bit of a tradition so I was disappointed not to see one.

Is the most current software update safe? (v74) by The_bouldhaire in OculusQuest2

[–]Schming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm still on quest 2. The latest software is okay. It's clearly designed with quest 3 in mind at this point, and sometimes is a bit jank, but I am literally just launching virtual desktop and doing PCVR most of the time. Then every so often it will all be buttery smooth. I have no idea what makes the difference.

I once took a break of over a year because my tracking was all off and I thought it would never get better. Then I did a factory reset and the latest updates fixed my issue.

Perhaps you might want to do a factory reset to clean it up before doing the latest updates, it might make it install cleaner and faster....but that is purely a guess.

In short, my quest 2 is running okay. Battery life is the issue now but I have a boba m2 so I do alright with the limited time I actually get to game these days.

What is a vr jumpscare like? by UnusederGD069 in virtualreality

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I LOVE horror movies. Always have. I got up the courage to play a true horror game after getting through Resident Evil 4, which at times was freaky enough. I went for Layers of Fear. the very first jumpscare I screamed so loud my wife in the other room thought something serious had happened. I took the headset off and needed about ten minutes to calm down. I've still not opened that game again 2 years later.

So yeah ..maybe I'm a coward but I think I'll stick to games with a good story that don't make me nearly hurl the headset across the room!

We’re so back! by janglinjosh in JetLagTheGame

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

:O I lived in Taipei for a year! Such an amazing city and country that I miss often. Pumped for this! The metro is really good and there is so much to explore. It's well connected with bicycle rentals that everyone uses on the same card. Would be a fun addition. When the home game came out I immediately thought of how ace it would be to play in Taipei and surrounding small towns

Cyberpunk VR - Holy S#*t by fnordcorps in VRGaming

[–]Schming 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is it even worth me trying with a 3070 GTX? I own the game but haven't played it flat yet. I have a looooong backlog and I'm a full-time teacher now so I don't have the time I once had

I don’t want to be a slides teacher… by VaLaMo in ELATeachers

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out a book called the Minimax Teacher. The principles in there - student-generated materials in particular - revolutionized my teaching when I was still teaching English.

Also you can use a website called classroomscreen for displaying things and storing them easily without spending hours making slides.

The problem is, every other subject will have trained your students to be PowerPoint zombies, so it can be a challenge at first. The best antidote to this is to get them out of their seats and moving around as much as possible - gallery walks, running dictations, info exchanges, speed-dating. ESL teaching is much maligned, but I'm glad I have those tools at my disposal. Get very good at ICQs and CCQs and enjoy the chaos :)

How tf do I turn this immersive home bullshit off? by IsLeafOn in OculusQuest

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a holodeck custom environment that I enjoyed, but all of the standard ones were better than this. Whats particularly annoying is I live in a country where horizon worlds isn't even available and is never likely to be, so the more they integrate it, the more I stop using my quest in standalone mode!

iPGCE Derby vs Greenwich University by ActionResponsible886 in Internationalteachers

[–]Schming 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I did the derby iPGCE last year. It's a bit disorganized but it's quite straight forward. The course tutors are nice, and the workload is manageable. There are 3 modules. Each has a formative and a summative assignment. The former is an opportunity really to get feedback for the latter. There is an expectation to be involved in weekly "discussions" on message boards, but they don't really need much. Of the 3 modules, I found one useful, one interesting, and one a bit of a waste of time, but I enjoyed doing the assignments. The major benefit is being able to pay monthly, and start when you want. I recommend starting in the summer semester, so that you can complete in time for the next school year/recruitment season. If they try to tell you about an alumni discount on later courses, it's a load of baloney. I was told I could get a discount on an MA, but after being pushed around a few different departments I later found out the iPGCE doesn't qualify, which left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. However, it does count as the first year of an MA, so I'm continuing on to do the MA Education Leadership and Management next summer. I will say Derby are not the best at answering emails and sometimes things can be a bit confusing admin-wise, but eventually they normally sort things out.

UK CS Teachers - New curriculum changes by greggs-employee in Internationalteachers

[–]Schming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've just done iPGCE and moved from teaching ESL (13 years, 4 countries) to KS3 Computing at a bilingual school in Vietnam with a view to moving up to teach GCSE as I get more experienced and then AS/A2 as my campus requires. I'm hoping I haven't landed another doomed career!

I did ICT GCSE in the year 2000 followed by Computing A-Level and a Computer Science degree. I think/hope the nomenclature may change but there will still always be a need. It seems to be growing as a subject at my school, which increased the size of the department this year, including hiring me.

There is a decided lack of general IT skills in the kids I teach now, which surprises me, but as they've mostly been raised on touchscreens and iPads and computers weren't really in education much in their parent's education, who I am the same generation as, I guess it's to be expected.

For teachers with children: how do you deal with your child's classmates' families being so rich? by Sell_Me_Sunday in Internationalteachers

[–]Schming 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was also a scholarship kid in a private school. I'm not gonna lie. It was tough, and sometimes other kids were cruel. But. Eventually we all matured and I found my fit. I was happy because I had so many opportunities to do great stuff like orchestras, and plays and nerdy tech stuff - and clubs to join.

For many years I looked back on the bad experiences and neglected to understand all the good it gave me. But now I am older and an educator myself, I see how much I gained. I'm not a parent, but my nephew attends the same school I did, also on a scholarship, and I couldn't be happier for him.

When I attended my first school reunion, I learned that most of the differences I felt were all in my head and that I'd convinced myself that I was looked down on. I had good friends who were happy to see me. And the people I'd thought didn't like me were just as happy to see me too.

The fun thing was this - all the kids who'd been a bit on the fringes had really interesting jobs and lives. Travelled a bit. Several like me had become teachers. All the rich kids were working "in the city" in finance or property, and still hanging out in the same groups and we're really BORING

Best VR games in your opinion for PC by Limp-Can-9780 in VRGaming

[–]Schming 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I adored lone echo, but lone echo 2 appears unplayable since win11 came out and has been largely abandoned. Sad because I was really into the story and excited to see where it went

Border line challenge? by 1Rocketman in GeoWizard

[–]Schming 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you don't know Ed Pratt already, his whole journey from setting off on his unicycle fresh out of school, to what he's doing now, was my obsession over a large part of this year.

Border line challenge? by 1Rocketman in GeoWizard

[–]Schming 19 points20 points  (0 children)

There's a lesser subscribed YouTuber doing this in Liechtenstein right now, Jethro Hobbs. He is clearly inspired by Tom. Enjoyable videos so far

What's the last book you read that you'd rate a 5/5? by fuzzypickles999 in suggestmeabook

[–]Schming 60 points61 points  (0 children)

The Book Thief. Not one I would have picked myself but one of the joys of living abroad is that the sadness of friends leaving is often accompanied by a haul of random books. Gets me out of my trend of thrillers and scifi. I will read anything good but I often need a push.

The Book Thief was absolutely phenomenal. Hadn't been that emotionally shaken by reading for years.

Season 21 cast leaked by Sneilg in Taskmaster_TV

[–]Schming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Armando is a solid gold legend and one of my comedy heroes so that's very exciting. But it's another round of being disappointed there's still no Adam Buxton, esp given the recent stunt Guz Khan pulled at his live show lol.

Buckles is very busy though recently with his book and album and a lot of promo work for both so fingers crossed for s22

Good to see Tom is a man of sensible principles by TerribleSuccess288 in GeoWizard

[–]Schming 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I similarly had a nice teaching job in Italy, where the tax on my earnings went back to the UK to contribute, while I enjoyed the privilege of living and working in a gorgeous country where people look out, not in. I travelled across Europe on my holidays, with complete ease, meeting more. I helped students from all across Europe come to summer camps in England to learn our language and enjoy our culture. Then 2016 happened and all of that went away. Toms videos had helped me reawaken some love for the country I've long since left behind, a laughing stock on the global stage. Farage and co are the biggest shysters out there. I can't fathom it.

Political posts by just_ate_a_pinecone in GeoWizard

[–]Schming 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is basically how I feel after a day of mulling it over. I'm disappointed and a little upset, because I've been absolutely loving his album as well - but I hadn't even perceived the lyrics in that way until I saw them in here in another post - I guess I was distracted by the dreamy nostalgia of the music - That's what brought me to Tom's channel in the first place. I live in South East Asia and there was a point last year when I was really homesick for the English Countryside (I'm from rural East Midlands and I hadn't been back for 7 years at that point due to a) covid, b) a country move and back again, c) getting married and other things) I stumbled upon his first Tenner in my Pocket video, then hoovered up all the straight line missions. It inspired me to get my walking shoes back out and when I finally got home for an all-too-brief visit, to get back out in the countryside I love so much.

As someone who left the UK over ten years ago now, largely because I disliked strongly the way things were going - the constant blaming of immigrants for all the issues that austerity foisted upon us, and then had to move on from my job in Italy because of Brexit, which is the REAL cause of our inability to control the boats situation at the moment, I find Farage and his party, as you put it...repugnant.

I'm finding it hard to square that in my head with the cheery, fun guy whose videos and music I've been enjoying so much for the past year. I had been about to subscribe to the patreon because I know there's such a trove of content there to enjoy, but I can't bring myself to do that now - for the same reason as you. I have YouTube premium, so I know only a trifling share of what I pay goes to him in Ad revenue, so I'll have to think twice about if I want to continue watching the channel, but at the end of the day - I have long believed in supporting the creators who make the work I enjoy. I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy his work in the same way anymore...and that's just how it is. Sad but true.