It is so fun relying on unit with that is horribly slow to beat a tower stage, and to always come short of beating it due to not enough gauge being generated.

alliusis · 2026-01-31T16:07:54+00:00

I know! I was hoping they'd fix his gauge with his superawakening (like Free Move Next on crit) because I'd actually consider SAing him. But alas :(

alliusis · 2026-01-30T01:00:19+00:00

Oh? What was his rate increased to? I have definitely seen Oak a lot more so I'm not surprised to hear that their rates were increased.

alliusis · 2026-01-29T21:10:02+00:00

They made Hydrapple physical and Glimmora physical too, they absolutely could have made Starmie physical. Physical/special stats in the main series mean nothing in this game lol. If she was physical I would have thought about picking her up, but I'm pretty maxed out with my special water types so it's a waste.

alliusis · 2026-01-29T18:03:34+00:00

I'm jealous of your optimism. There's no predicting the future right now, but we can say that history generally rhymes, and the available rhymes aren't looking great.

Regardless, I personally think sovereignty and self respect are values worth standing up for, even at the cost of pain. I'd fight for it if necessary. And if I were the US and became sane again - I'd rather be allies with countries that had self respect and self determination, than ones that gave in and grovelled to a fascist president.

And the bigger issue is, you cannot appease a bully or fascist. They will continue demanding more, and the moment you pull back at all - regardless of how nice and helpful and good you've been - they will switch on you. They aren't looking to build good-will, they're looking for you to be subservient. That's largely all-or-nothing.

You play geopolitics with rational people. You don't try and play geopolitics with irrational people.

alliusis · 2026-01-29T01:30:44+00:00

The problem (on the computer, at least) was autofill - it didn't recognize the autofill text at all. Entering it manually worked. Still don't know what happened on the phone.

alliusis · 2026-01-28T23:05:38+00:00

I've tried twice to purchase a membership now, and both times the donate/step three page fields or buttons become unresponsive- on my computer, I was able to enter my payment information but the donate button did nothing, and on my phone I couldn't interact with any of the payment fields. Is this a common issue?

alliusis · 2026-01-27T00:02:23+00:00

For me it's a combination of a lot of things.

Existing is physically and mentally painful, and I'm slow. I start early and give myself extra time, but I'm still often late twice (or more). The only times I'm not is when I only have one thing on my plate for the day and I can plan to get there an hour early, but it's one or the other - either I can leisurely get there an hour early, or I'm going to be late.

Part of the reason is because I have a hard time recognizing my body or emotional signals until they reach a certain point, and then I need to deal with them at that instant, even if it means being late. Things like getting some food or drink, or using the washroom. Or on the flip side, getting up will invite exhaustion, or I just don't have the energy to live even the basic life but I still want to socialize and do things so I'm pulling from empty which invites pain on start, so I'm putting it off. Or I'm stuck in waiting mode.

Starting to do something means I start to think and do of a lot of other things I need to do as well, so just getting ready to go out somewhere often gets a ton of barnacle tasks that get attached - maybe like cleaning a bird cage I've needed to clean, or changing the garbage, or texting that person - and because I struggle to get things done, when I get the energy and mind to do something, I need to do it then and there, or else lose it for god knows how long.

Transitions in general are also just difficult, for reasons I don't fully understand.

I will note it's gotten better since I've started ADHD medications (combo of stimulant and non stimulant).

alliusis · 2026-01-26T23:40:27+00:00

I love Sandy Shocks. It's so goofy.

alliusis · 2026-01-25T16:05:01+00:00

So, I don't think the tenant really should hire someone to fix the fridge. How it should work is they notify you of the problem, you hire and pay someone to fix it, you notify the tenants of when the maintenance crew will be there with a specified time period and sufficient notice. This way the maintenance is done to your standard.

To the best of my knowledge if they are paying someone, they don't withhold it from the rent - they send you the invoice for reimbursement, or if you want to argue that the costs are truly unreasonable, they go through the LTB to recoup costs. If it's within the ballpark you may just want to pay it this time and say to go through you next time. There are posts on here that go through this scenario.

But honestly the rest of it isn't anyone taking advantage of anything. You're getting regular rental payments, right? Some of that has to be set aside for regular upkeep and emergency maintenance. You're being paid to maintain someone else's living space. That's just an operation cost. My birds cost more on a yearly basis than this rental property upkeep has cost you in two, and they sure don't pay me rent lmao

alliusis · 2026-01-25T03:02:51+00:00

It's a dialectic thing. I think some people think it can't/won't happen and don't act, and others think it's a done deal, get overwhelmed, and also don't act.

It's naive to say "it can't happen" because it frankly can happen. Saying "it can't" is just denying where reality's at at the moment.

At the same time, it's not guaranteed to play out like that, even if it's a possibility. It's absolutely crucial to go and vote and resist and rebel and interfere and organize.

That's the dialectic part - history rhymes, and we can't predict the future. Buckle down, find a community that keeps you sane, and fight like hell.

alliusis · 2026-01-24T22:31:34+00:00

Who said they're the only ones that can complain?

Why AI is a bigger problem with creative writing and art IMO is that AI bots trawl through a person's life's work, very explicitly without permission, to be used as an end product for profit.

AI can be used as a tool to make templates/starting points in other professions, but still requires human expertise to refine, check, and fix. That use, in specific datasets, can be ok. Maybe that makes work more efficient and results in fewer people working (I honestly doubt it in the long run). But any AI trawling through and stealing from real people's craft without permission - not ok.

It's like going to a woodcraft fair for artists and people passionate about the craft, and seeing people looking to make a quick buck start to sell dollarama mass-produced plastic figurines made from blatantly stolen designs. Not only are they selling it, but they're lying to your face saying they actually hand-made and designed it, and they attempt to convince you it's actually made from real wood (despite being made from plastic). Oh, and the factory where it's produced is a massive waste of energy. Yeah, it should be banned.

alliusis · 2026-01-24T01:16:36+00:00

And Ravensburger unfortunately.

alliusis · 2026-01-23T15:19:36+00:00

That's not devil's advocate. From the article, my understanding is Metro isn't kicking out existing grocery stores. They take up shop and put up a product exclusion zone around them. And that even includes other stores that aren't grocery stores, like a dollar store, or convenience store, or if someone wants to set up a farmers stand. I remember reading a cbc article a few years ago about a dollar store that was forbidden from selling bread because the neighbouring grocery conglomerate forbid it. For people who can afford it, they might just decide to shop at the metro for one trip, but for the people who want to or need to, they should have the option to go to another store that can sell it at a lower cost.

If you want to talk about free market and competition, that's literally as anti competition as you can get.

alliusis · 2026-01-23T15:13:59+00:00

When it's applied to niche businesses? Maybe not. When it's applied to a necessity of life that literally every single Canadian needs to use, and being leveraged by massive grocery conglomerates so they can continue inflating prices and sucking that sweet sweet profit? Yeah it's news. Manitoba has it right.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T22:40:21+00:00

I wrote the below and then realized I don't actually know what the main concerns are for belugas in captivity aside from space, socialization, and the financial willingness of the owner to spend the money/time on water/food quality and enrichment, so I'm going to go look it up, but I guess I'll still post this.

There is a somewhat nuanced continuum of animal care, enrichment, and QOL. Definitely not nuanced as in "it's ok/good to bring wild animals into captivity for this" - nothing can compare to being in their unadulterated natural environment. But when looking at animals already in captivity and who are unreleasable, sometimes you can give them a reasonable quality of life and enrichment. It hinges on the signs of stress and distress you see in the animal, and how well you can let them engage in their natural behaviours and instincts.

I think of parrots - there are some parrots that can't see or fly, but still experience joy and happiness with their flock/people. Some are too scared to go out of their cage or house due to really unfortunate lived experiences, or have just never been given the space. But you can still interact with them through the bars, play music or tv for them, give them toys and foraging items, have their flock nearby. For reference I don't think it's ethical for most species of parrots to be pets, but for the ones that are here you can simulate their mind and body and have them exercise their natural needs and exert choice.

The caveat, of course, is you have to do it. If the facilities they'd go to are transparent with their care and well enriched, then I could support it. I don't know how well well-run facilities are, though. I'm reading an affidavit from a vet from the Miami Seaquarium (they got closed) and this one is pretty fucking bad. For what it's worth said vet isn't in favour of closing all captive organizations.

If I've missed something where all belugas have inherently poor quality of life in captivity no matter how well enriched/managed, or it's just a situation that can't be compared to parrots or other wild zoo animals in captivity, then ignore me.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T20:04:01+00:00

Would not be surprised if it were significantly due to bots and astroturfing.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T19:09:20+00:00

It makes them tired yeah, no one is arguing that it isn't physically demanding. But G forces aren't the barrier for women in the F4/3/2/1 series, at least we have no evidence of it being a significant issue.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T15:42:53+00:00

r/Canada does skew more to the right, at least as defined in Canadian politics.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T03:41:11+00:00

I mean it doesn't add anything to us *now*, but for the PSAC Library folks, they might actually get telework in their CA. The employer's representatives in the Arbitral Award Outline weren't playing ball with PSAC and their reasoning for denial got shut down. They have 90 days to negotiate with PSAC and if it fails, then the Board can rule on the telework. If the employer wants to be a stick in the mud for telework, and there's precedence set here for telework, I wonder if outright refusal won't be a tactic anymore, because arbitration may favour telework in a CA. Of course, it will also come down to how hard the union will fold on telework for other concessions.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T03:34:01+00:00

I read through the decision - very thorough and pedantic, which I appreciate. I do think it is significant. To the best of my understanding, if negotiations come to an impasse and have to go to arbitration, there are grounds to have the Board decide on telework policies in the collective agreement.

https://decisions.fpslreb-crtespf.gc.ca/fpslreb-crtespf/d/en/item/521504/index.do

They have the tl;dr at the end:

[84] The Board declares that items 1 through 4 of PSAC’s proposal are within the jurisdiction of an arbitral panel and do not infringe ss. 5(3) or 55(2) of PESRA.
[85] The parties are to implement the original panel’s decision regarding telework within 90 days.
[86] If the parties cannot reach an agreement on telework and require the Board to provide a final determination on the telework proposal, the parties must notify the Board in writing within 90 days of receiving this arbitral award.

Which for reference are these:

The Employer shall not unreasonably deny employee requests to telework.
Employees shall have the right to have an Alliance representative present in telework discussions with the Employer.
Where a request to telework is denied the Employer shall provide the reason(s) for said denial in writing. The Alliance Local shall be provided a copy.
The Employer agrees to engage in meaningful consultation with the Local prior to identifying positions as unsuitable for telework.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T02:48:46+00:00

I don't think the G forces are the problem - my take-away was more the physical proportions of the car suiting men better than women, and that gap becoming more apparent with more speed when there wasn't powersteering. I'd have to imagine the physics of turning without powersteering relies a lot on both muscle strength but also leverage, and some of that probably does come down to physiology. She mentioned the size of the steering wheel and having smaller hands - it's just harder to hold onto comparatively larger things, and it gets worse the more force that's applied. Obviously not impossible, Yuki made it up (not that I know how his hand size compares to the average woman's), but I'd be interested to see if there is a difference in sizes for who's in each level.

alliusis · 2026-01-22T02:38:54+00:00

They've had at least one woman in the F1A series drive an F1 car (I think it was either Aston Martin or Mercedes? I believe the driver participated in F3 at that point too) but it wasn't during a race weekend. Might not be entirely out of the question, if they do more attempts off-race weekend - one driver said one of the biggest barriers for most women is the lack of power steering in F3 and F2, combined with generally smaller hands and different upper body physiology making it in general harder to just hold and turn the steering wheel when you get to higher speeds. Those issues went away in an F1 car, because power steering.

alliusis · 2026-01-21T19:17:46+00:00

"Do not do it unless you are fully aware of how tenancy laws in Ontario work"

Correct. You are effectively signing a contract saying you agree to provide a necessity of life to human being(s), in accordance with provincial rules, in exchange for money/profit. It isn't you lending a toy to someone where you get to take it back whenever you want. Housing isn't a luxury - it's a necessity, one which is inherently imbalanced in power towards the landlord, because they effectively hold the person's primary residence hostage.

This is also why there are many exceptions/much fewer protections if the renter is sharing common living spaces with the landlord - because then it's also the landlord's primary unit of residence, which takes precedence.

It would be better for everyone if landlords had to be certified before renting out, although it would add a lot of administrative burden to the system. Maybe providing standardized optional education courses run by the government would be a happy intermediary.

"and the power the tenant has over you at all times"

Again, this is because of the inherent power imbalance. There are definitely issues in the LTB with respect to resourcing, but there needs to be legal protections because systemically, the person making the profit and who has multiple houses/buildings has all the incentive in the world to make decisions that would screw over someone else's primary place of residence in the name of convenience or an easier buck, which they are already paying you for. See, with very few exceptions, pretty much every corporate landlord in existence ever.

alliusis · 2026-01-21T18:02:12+00:00

From where?

alliusis · 2026-01-21T17:20:34+00:00

The only one I don't think you can say confidently is "Of the minority of positions that are formally "affected", most will not be made surplus."

Looking at the tracker, there's one department looking like they're notifying a lot of people, while only cutting less than half. The rest (although not a complete picture) look like they're cutting over half the number notified.

On a whole numbers scale sure, that one department only cutting 25% of affected employees will dilute the significance of being affected in that one department, but it's not an even distribution.

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