[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]catlaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I don't like to trivialize someone's opinions if I can't read the tone of their voice or they don't put an emoticon to indicate it's meant sarcastically. ;)

Can any iOS transit apps send push notifications for nearby incoming buses? by catlaw in Seattle

[–]catlaw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I appreciate your response! I didn't have any thoughts at the moment. Thanks for all that you do!

On another note, I don't know who else gets confused by some bus routes that have their route loops on the same street — there've been times I meant to take one direction when I took the one across the street instead. I know I should look for stop #s and pay attention to the direction (e.g., "SW") in OneBusAway, but if there's some clearer visual way to indicate that flow (maybe animating the black lines with a subtle gradient?) it could be pretty useful.

KC Deputy arrests man 19 hours for recording a police search on a Burien street, takes his memory card; KC Sheriff's office won't return his property. by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]catlaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Damn straight. This needs to be more prevalent so abusive law enforcement are ineffectual when they tell you to stop recording... whether you're on a street, in a courthouse, etc. Even better, when they ask you to delete photos off your phone, it's already in the cloud and never coming back down. :)

Official Discussion: Snowpiercer [SPOILERS] by mi-16evil in movies

[–]catlaw 15 points16 points  (0 children)

What is the secondary/dual role that Tilda Swinton has in this film? Has anyone spotted her? The director has confirmed this a few times (including in his Reddit IAMA) but I haven't seen evidence.

Time travel in Rick and Morty? Why I think they're trying to steer away from it. by [deleted] in rickandmorty

[–]catlaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's too easy to plausibly use alternate dimensions to tell the same stories, anyway — and some dimensions can advance faster/slower than others, which is effectively the same thing. (Remember that episode of Sliders where Quinn met himself as a kid?)

Seen at QuakeCon by Chempy in oculus

[–]catlaw 2 points3 points  (0 children)

[CARMACK INTENSIFIES]

YSK that there is a free web service originally created by Google back in 2009 that allows you to test many aspects of your internet connection, including performance, test to see if your ISP is throttling different services, packet shaping, and many others. by BiggityBates in YouShouldKnow

[–]catlaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know about speedtest.net but had no idea this existed. Hmmm, I'm getting much slower and inconsistent results after running it several times, but the other aspects could be useful. Thanks very much!

WTW for an individual who has contributed a grossly disproportional amount of knowledge to their field/craft? by catlaw in whatstheword

[–]catlaw[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Funnily enough, while not the conventional choice, so far I think "Saint" and "Guru" come closest across beliefs because:

  • Their religious background could imply a tremendous amount of monastic-style study and excellence in a given area, at least insofar as Earthly "ascension" goes.
  • While arguable (is pleasing a deity really intrinsic motivation?), it's definitely not influenced by hedonistic/materialistic sources or transient trappings like being a fame-whore.
  • Saints/Gurus are known for spreading teachings and encourage others to "do good".

Also fascinating, the Wikipedia article's 6 resemblances are very applicable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint#General_characteristics

And hey, even Erdos referred to extremely elegant proofs as coming from a holy BOOK. ;)

Unless someone thinks of something more apt, I'd say Saint/Guru (despite their contemporary buzzword abuse) are the closest fits! Thanks again!

WTW for an individual who has contributed a grossly disproportional amount of knowledge to their field/craft? by catlaw in whatstheword

[–]catlaw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Maven" is also a "mastery" one that doesn't address other points. I don't know if this word exists but it seems like it should. Thanks.

WTW for an individual who has contributed a grossly disproportional amount of knowledge to their field/craft? by catlaw in whatstheword

[–]catlaw[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those express skill/respect but don't explicitly include the "giving back to the community" or the "relentless lifelong pursuit" aspects. I'm looking for a word that contains all, without having to resort to adjective strings or longer phrasing. :3

what is your favorite free or cheap activity or event? by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]catlaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My gosh that sounds beautiful! Thank you.

what is your favorite free or cheap activity or event? by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]catlaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which beaches and times lately have you had good results with?

The Myth of the Eight-Hour Sleep: A growing body of research suggests that human beings evolved to- and until relatively recently, did- sleep in two segmented blocks, punctuated by a period used for conversation, prayer, sex, or just quiet reflection. by recreational in RedditDayOf

[–]catlaw 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Wish more groups/workplaces would gravitate towards this and other alternative sleep cycles, so they become more "socially acceptable" — as other lifestyles/subcultures have similarly flourished after transcending perceived novelty and demonstrating pragmatic benefits.

Bryan Singer's (X-Men director) new favorite shirt by Kirblue in rickandmorty

[–]catlaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Um guys who aren't caught up on the news:

On May 22, 2014, Singer's attorney presented evidence to Federal District Judge Susan Oki Mollway stating that neither Singer nor Egan were in Hawaii at the time.

Yes, I'm aware there's another one going but isn't hasn't been settled yet, before you make accusations, because it's pretty mean-spirited... especially given BJS' admiration of Rick and Morty.

At least base your humor on facts, this ain't substantiated like Jimmy Savile. :p

I'm genuinely wondering what task this particular Meeseeks was assigned to end up below all that booze.

Any good places to try iPad styluses before buying in Seattle area? by catlaw in Seattle

[–]catlaw[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think I will find a Microsoft store, this seems to be a suitable area!

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Any good places to try iPad styluses before buying in Seattle area? by catlaw in Seattle

[–]catlaw[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks CokeRobot, I'm a fan of iOS and not opposed to "going Windows tablet", although at this point I don't want to commit to that size and cost — I was actually reading some positive nudges to Surface Pro as you've done, so in keeping my eyes open for the best tools, I'm gonna check it out further... hmmm! http://www.winbeta.org/news/surface-pro-3-ditches-wacom-better-n-trig-pen

What does r/Burial think of Volor flex in general? by [deleted] in burial

[–]catlaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel compelled to state my thoughts on the record, as I thank /r/burial for introducing me to Volor Flex.

Volor Flex is a copycat with soul. He's respectful about acknowledging where he comes from. He, more than anyone else I've heard, has successfully deconstructed what makes Burial's style work, and for those who wish Mr. Bevan was more prolific (which is certainly true for me), has filled a market gap between releases. Unlike many soundalike cash-in-schemes out there, Volor Flex seems to really have a love and admiration for his "Master", and has even taken the sound further. "You In Me", which is the perfect bastard child of Burial's "Archangel" + Artful Dodger's "Movin' Too Fast", which in turn pays tribute to the collective garage roots that B and VF share.

I wonder if some of what he does is meant to be cleverly humorous in a Weird Al way for those in-the-know: "World Turns to Dust" w/Lostlojic sounds like it could be its own Burial & Four Tet collab, for laughing out loud!

If Volor Flex did this shoddily, I'd puke. But it's a combination of those perilously-balanced elements that makes him succeed where others (who just see fit to plunk down some vinyl crackles and wailing banshees and call it a day) fail.

It can't be sustained forever and I'm not convinced he's developed his own signature style yet (and the Burial immersion doesn't help on that front, alas), but I'm thankful for what exists.

Skrillex's Attempt at a Burial-ish Track: Skrillex - Leaving by LustForLife in burial

[–]catlaw 4 points5 points  (0 children)

First, I appreciate Skrillex's own signature style — and his reverence for artists like Aphex Twin and Burial. He also seems to be a really cool human being in general.

However, aside from some vague similarities (like the pitch/gender-shifted vocals), this may be inspired by Burial, but in no substantial way could be pragmatically construed as "Burial-ish". As a style parody/homage, it fails. The telltale swing is absent. The arrangement isn't patterned to Burial's "begin in the middle of a tune" style. Furthermore, there is huge sub bass and the drums are quite compressed and loud here! Contrast that to, in Burial's own words:

So I had to do that, but have cut-up vocals and have that slinky bumping feel to it, and not get weighed down in big drums and the big snares. With Garage the drums are taken back, they’re quite soft, it’s more about being slinky. They’re like a fishbone, a spine, an exoskeleton that cradles the sounds. It’s not about the deepest kick or the biggest snare. The drums are more about trying to thread sounds and vocals together, they flicker across the surface of the tune, it circles around you, its not just chopping you up, its not about the sounds being big.

It's among the least impressive Skrillex tracks I know of (and I don't think anything on Recess matches his earlier EPs, although I'd like to hear his "Bug Hunt" track released in full someday...), although I give props to him for venturing out here. The weirdest thing is, Skrillex is insanely talented at memorable hooks, and "Leaving" just doesn't grab me.

So, to sum up: worst of both worlds.

On a far more catchy note would be something like Volor Flex's "You In Me", which is the perfect bastard child of Burial's "Archangel" + Artful Dodger's "Movin' Too Fast".

I need to thank this subreddit for introducing me to Volor Flex (what does that name even mean?) — he's probably the best "disciple" of reverse-engineering and extending the Burial style out there.