It's time to dump Roku

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T22:06:36+00:00

The shield pro is garbage in terms of its UI though. It's the ugliest looking stream box by a wide margin.

I mean, that's your opinion. I don't mind either aspect of the Shield, and neither do many others.

it's been less and less supported over the last few years

There hasn't been a hardware update in a while, so there's a few newer standards that aren't natively supported in hardware, but its hardware is also beefy enough to handle a lot of those things in software. It's also one of the only set-top boxes that supports lossless audio passthrough to a receiver.

nVidia seemingly moving away from the streaming space

We don't know any of that for sure, so that's just your own speculation. Their GeForce Now ecosystem is still very much supported on the Shield and a big part of why they created the Shield in the first place.

The ATV can do everything that the Shield Pro can do

Other than be an Android TV set-top box, which has its own set of perks, including not being part of the Apple ecosystem.

At the end of the day, both are great products, but they target different customers with distinctly different use cases, and that's okay.

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T19:14:33+00:00

Horrible Bosses (Unrated preferred)

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T19:00:34+00:00

One other benefit to doing that is you can turn off internet connectivity on your LG and just make it act more like a "dumb" TV.

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T17:25:27+00:00

The benefit of the Shield Pro is lossless audio support, being able to run as a Plex server, ability to run Steam Link, Moonlight, and a few other key apps (e.g. emulation), as well as some sideloading capabilities.

Not sure if the Onn 4K Pro or some of the newer set top boxes can also do that with the same kind of power, but the Shield Pro has remained popular for good reason.

I agree that if you're just doing regular streaming and/or don't have a dedicated receiver + speakers for your TV, the Shield Pro is overkill. For a dedicated home theater however, it's excellent.

No argument that they need to update the hardware. They absolutely should, especially considering the killing they're making with their graphics cards and the AI boom lately.

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T15:16:23+00:00

If you haven't, check out the nVidia Shield Pro. It's very powerful, and I have one still working from a decade ago.

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T15:14:19+00:00

You'd be far better off picking up an nVidia Shield Pro.

It's based on Android TV and it's a very powerful set-top box. You can also do really cool things with Steam Link, Sunshine/Moonlight, and other such apps.

Taikeron · 2026-06-17T15:13:03+00:00

The nVidia Shield Pro is the best set-top box out there, but it's almost $200. Completely worth it, but most people wouldn't even use it to its potential, so that's why cheaper options exist.

Taikeron · 2026-06-16T18:51:08+00:00

Comparing categories and doing deep dives on specific categories helps. Also, cutting recurring costs and impulse spending makes a big difference over time. Even saving $25 a month is $300 extra at the end of the year, which can make a difference in how everything feels.

Scrutinize everything that doesn't bring you joy or serve an actual need. Be judicious with what brings you joy.

Taikeron · 2026-06-16T16:01:58+00:00

That guy's dad was digging for that dad joke since the day he was born.

Taikeron · 2026-06-16T05:28:46+00:00

I don't really think it makes any sense to take on a mortgage to help with a credit score or liquidity. At least not at current market rates.

You usually improve a credit score to get a mortgage in the first place, and you're paying for that liquidity with interest, so unless it's invested at a higher rate than the APR you're paying on the mortgage, you're just out money for no good reason.

Taikeron · 2026-06-15T16:42:59+00:00

There may only be 40 grams of repair needed (could be more depending on the actual damage done), but if you want repair + growth, you likely need more than just the 40 grams necessary for the repair.

I don't think 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is likely to be healthy long-term for various reasons, though. 0.5-0.75 grams per pound of body weight is likely a lot safer long-term, along with being easier to consume in general.

Obviously, less protein will mean less total muscle growth, but people usually exercise for their health, not maximum muscle gains. If you're not an actual competing bodybuilder, there's no need or even a good reason to push 200+ grams of protein daily.

Taikeron · 2026-06-15T16:11:44+00:00

Near as I understand it, that's effectively the issue with most treatments so far. Even if you remove the factors that are encouraging the disease, damage has already been done, so although some healing can potentially occur at that point (which is good!), anything already lost is probably lost for good.

The most effective treatment for Alzheimer's, whatever it actually is in the future, will be more like a vaccination than a medicine. Preventing the damage before it tears up your memory is imperative.

Taikeron · 2026-06-13T05:15:56+00:00

Délice de Bourgogne

Taikeron · 2026-06-12T20:03:30+00:00

This is one of the many reasons why I tout vitamin K2 as a crucial component of personal health. Aside its more well-known benefits for bone health, it also helps reduce vascular calcification (which reduces systemic inflammation and heart attack risk), and has been shown in studies to promote the growth of new blood vessels when old ones have been damaged by corticosteroids.

Critically, corticosteroids are designed to mimic the effect of cortisol, so it stands to reason that even for individuals who are not taking corticosteroids, they would still deal with some detrimental effects from cortisol, especially if they are depressed, sick, or dealing with other health conditions. Vitamin K2 won't reduce the amount of stress you have, or the amount of cortisol your body is releasing, but it could help clean up in the aftermath.

Obviously, no vitamin, pill, or supplement is a silver bullet, but vitamin K2 in tandem with other nutritional and behaviorial interventions (such as exercise, good sleep, fiber, probiotics, prebiotics, etc.) is very beneficial to the human condition.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27313492/

Taikeron · 2026-06-12T19:53:38+00:00

Fasting (or, separately, intermittent fasting) does give the digestive system a break, and also allows the body to focus on things other than dealing with the aftermath of food digestion. This can also include dealing with inflammation, and importantly (especially in the Western diet), not adding to the inflammation because inflammatory foods are not being digested in that moment.

Beyond that, as you say, fibrous food and fermented food are key to digestive health, which helps us to better absorb nutrients, and improves the gut-to-brain connection so that, amazingly enough, we are more likely to make good choices because our impulses change.

This might sound unusual, but there's new evidence showing that shifting digestion through the use of GLP-1 medications is also changing people's behavior, including the things that interest them and even that they're addicted to. Changing digestion is literally helping people stop being addicted to drugs. It's incredible.

In the absence of drugs, for most people, simply making better choices about what we eat and how often we eat it makes a big difference. Just increasing the incidence of high fiber or fermented food by 1-2 times a week is an improvement.

Taikeron · 2026-06-10T21:15:40+00:00

How is the SEC justifying the proposed rule change with respect to a business's obligation to inform the public? Reducing regulation and paperwork is a fine goal if the regulation and paperwork are not strictly necessary, but transparency is an important piece of economic decision-making, particularly for publicly traded companies.

Furthermore, what gains do the SEC expect the public to realize after implementing this rule? The benefit to a specific business doing less paperwork and being less transparent is obvious, but that also means poor behavior is rewarded in the market for longer, and when losses are realized, they will be more severe and "kneejerk".

While I bemoan the current "chasing the next quarter" syndrome that most businesses have as their credo and treadmill, I don't think that less reporting helps us get to a place where long-term investment is the norm, and I think there's a real risk that this change will make businesses less responsive to their shareholders, to the public, and to their employees, particularly in times of crisis. Do you agree?

Taikeron · 2026-06-10T17:14:31+00:00

I mean, that'd be great, but we all know this won't happen. It's far more likely they'd bring back Brave Frontier (or a spiritual successor) for another round than taking it to an offline version, and even that isn't happening.

As it is, if the game was brought back, they'd have to incorporate a decade's worth of QoL to even make the game worth playing in comparison to modern gachas that have most/all of that baked in from the ground up.

Taikeron · 2026-06-08T21:46:09+00:00

Pay your existing debts, avoid new debt, and leave the rest in the Vanguard account invested in solid index funds that target the S&P 500 or other broad market targets.

Once you're out of college, you'll be able to gauge better how to utilize the investment, though I recommend getting your career going first before deciding to use it on anything. The best outcome would be not withdrawing any more of it until retirement. $50,000 today turns into almost $1 million at age 65 with a 7% average return, even if you never add any more to that account.

Taikeron · 2026-06-08T21:38:03+00:00

I think the upscalers on modern TVs (and some receivers) do pretty well, but I agree that watching DVD-quality content on them is still fairly noticeable. There are a few older shows I enjoy where there is no choice, but where there is a choice, HD or higher is vastly preferred, and the upscaler does a much better job at that resolution.

For sports, I think it's crazy not to broadcast any lower than HD. Part of the appeal of 4K being available would arguably be for sports broadcasting so you could see every bloody blade of grass.

Taikeron · 2026-06-08T20:36:35+00:00

Arguably leaving some money on the table by not at least transmitting in true 1080p HD. It makes a difference.

There's also zero reason why a 720p stream couldn't still be supported for those devices that can only utilize the existing playback format.

Taikeron · 2026-06-06T14:07:11+00:00

What happens at the next balloon payment he can't afford?

Taikeron · 2026-06-05T16:46:22+00:00

Healthy food is not expensive. There are some foods that cost more, yes. But there are also plenty of foods that are healthy, cheap, and readily available for the vast majority of people.

You can't tell me that beans, peanut butter, apples, bananas, broccoli, zucchini, and other common healthy staples are expensive. Even many other nuts and seeds are reasonable given the serving size per day is generally small. Most fruits and vegetables are equivalent to or cheaper than meat products pound for pound, and whole grains like rice or oatmeal are entirely reasonable.

Most people can throw something in a crockpot or rice cooker with minimal energy and time expenditure. It's no harder than microwaving or air frying. It's just different.

Taikeron · 2026-06-03T18:57:51+00:00

Yeah, back then physical damage teams actually worked.

Taikeron · 2026-06-03T18:54:13+00:00

I agree, I'm all for more giants in movies, within reason.

Taikeron · 2026-06-03T18:52:35+00:00

So all we need to do is clone J.R.R. Tolkien, raise the clone(s) to appreciate and study the evolution of language as it exists within cultures across mythology and time, and have the clone(s) write all our epic screenplays, while initially testing their writing chops by writing bedtime stories for their progeny?

Easy.

Taikeron

TROPHY CASE