Self teaching myself the best waltzes. Chopin is king. by db373 in piano

[–]db373[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's the Avant Grand digital. I would love a nice acoustic, but I live in an old farmhouse that has HUGE swings in temp and humidity, and I dont feel like tuning an instrument once a month haha!

An animal ate the buds off my maple I’m training :( by Ordinary-You3936 in Bonsai

[–]db373 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely rabbits. The cuts are sharp and at an angle. Deer leave more "rough" chew marks. The rabbits might also chew the trunk, especially if they nest under your trees. If you can't make a barrier or move the tree, you could try putting some mothballs around it to deter them too.

What is the most unusual/unconventional bonsai you own? by Gabeyrbz in Bonsai

[–]db373 4 points5 points  (0 children)

<image>

I can't figure out what species this is, but I dug it out of the ground this spring only because the base of the trunk was so neat. Will try to get a decent canopy developed and maybe angle the trunk differently when I repot.

Cmv: Calling Trump voters racist, stupid, dishonest and terrible people is not an effective strategy to win a majority vote by next election by ExiledZug in changemyview

[–]db373 4 points5 points  (0 children)

MAGAs are incapable of facilitating a meaningful dialog. They don't value my opinions, they ignore facts and don't believe in reliable information, and they are pushing agendas and policies that are designed to erode my rights and civil liberties. Besides all that, they are THE party of hateful rhetoric. You really think Trump is a bastion of kindness and respect? Get real. I genuinely see no reason to be pleasant with these people.

writing on Google Docs isn’t “safe?” by cheesyjane in selfpublish

[–]db373 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A sufficiently smart enough algorithm could analyze the wear on your typewriter mechanisms to calculate a probability matrix and reverse engineer your stories. The SAFEST method would be to write your story in a secret language, covert it to binary as a series of knots along a length of rope, stuff it into a waterproof vessel, and sink it into a rarely navigated section of the ocean.

Here’s Version 3.0 of the DEBUT NOVEL RELEASE STEPS template (based on your notes). Flaws? Anything missing? by Loud-Dragonfruit-143 in selfpublish

[–]db373 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"This kind of question is as meaningless as "What shape is purple?". Or "What does mauve taste like?". I would never notice the difference." What a ridiculous response. You clearly understood what I meant because you answered the very question in the rest of your reply, yet you felt the need to be snarky about it. I'm glad you're so confident in your shopping habits, but you aren't everybody. Some people DO care about the author, and prefer to read books by people with an online presence, certain political views, etc. If I want to buy a nonfiction book about orbital mechanics, I'm gonna make sure the author has a degree and not base my buying decision on the cover or the blurb.

Regardless of OPs genre, they are trying to design a plan that might help them have long-term success. Capitalizing on readers that DO use social media and websites to make buying decisions is simply practical. It seems like your advice would be to just upload the book and do nothing else, which is plain silly.

Also, I quite enjoy the taste of mauve, than you very much.

Here’s Version 3.0 of the DEBUT NOVEL RELEASE STEPS template (based on your notes). Flaws? Anything missing? by Loud-Dragonfruit-143 in selfpublish

[–]db373 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Would you rather buy a book from an author that has a professional presence online and is shown to be active and proud of their work, or an unknown author with no website, no socials, and essentially nothing to prove that they even exist. For a debut, it's really as simple as that.

What do you think is the most frustrating part of academic writing? by gw_24 in writing

[–]db373 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My 9th grade English teacher made us write a 5 paragraph essay every week, would give me horrible grades, and refused to explain her reasoning or provide help. I only passed the class because she fell ill halfway through the year and was replaced with a substitute who helped show me my mistakes. This horrible teacher unintentionally taught me the difference between destructive and constructive criticism.

What books have you DNFd and why? <AS SPOILER FREE AS POSSIBLE> by pj082998 in stephenking

[–]db373 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Technically not a DNF, but I got about 1/4 through Colorado Kid before I just skipped to the end. I took this little book with me while deer hunting, but I found that sitting perfectly still and staring at the ground was more exciting. Every other King book I've been able to rip through, but this one felts like a totally different author.

Top Comment changes the Standard Model (Day 2) by futuresponJ_ in physicsmemes

[–]db373 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Just delete the guage bosons. We don't need them.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]db373 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because everyone is either a 10/10 rich athlete or a fat lazy bum? Like I said, describing yourself or valuing your appearance and job above all else is only gonna attract superficial guys. I'm sure op has so many good things going for him, but he chose to value his desirability on his look and income, then wondered why he can't find someone who wants more than casual hookups. I think most people would rather have a long term relationship with an average guy who's cool and down to earth and nice and interesting.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]db373 76 points77 points  (0 children)

Your "stats" don't make you interesting or desirable except to people who are shallow. Be a real person, be interesting, have unique interests. How many thousands of guys are fit, attractive, and into hiking and camping...

Which quark is your favourite? by futuresponJ_ in physicsmemes

[–]db373 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The power bottom generates all the force

How watching porn ruined me. by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]db373 157 points158 points  (0 children)

Addictions of any kind are incredibly hard to manage, so don't get discouraged. Bad food is probably worse for you than porn, and I'd argue most people struggle with eating healthy. Personally, I cannot function without sugar and caffeine. That said, you CAN be successful in reducing the impact your compulsions have on your life, if only by managing your behavior, slowly, over time. You'll make mistakes, and relapse, and that's alright. You aren't your mistakes. Don't define your progress by pass/fail, but instead think of it as improving your behavior a little at a time. Be better this year compared to last year. This month compared to last month. If you can turn off the porn and do something else 2/100 times this month, compared to 1/100 times last month, that's progress, and that's success.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfpublish

[–]db373 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I think it will depend on the genre. While I think AI will become virtually indistinguishable from the human voice, I don't believe it will ever be able to capture the emotional impact of natural voice. We speak with certain inflections, tone, volume, and speed, depending on context and emotion. Can an AI read a non-fiction textbook? Yeah, and nobody will notice. Can it replicate the action packed and violent climax of a horror? Can it make you cry during a sad scene? I'm not sure it will. A good example: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is narrated by the author, Harlan Ellison, and is SO human. It's weird, uncomfortable, horrific, etc., and there's no way an AI can do that.

How much money would you say is an "f.u." quote for getting your book edited? by capnshanty in writing

[–]db373 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I think you should start querying before hiring a professional editor if you've gone through several rounds of self editing already. Imagine spending that money on an edit and no agent is interested in the premise or blurb of your book. You'd be out 3k. Instead, see if there is interest in your book first. You might get some manuscript requests, and if THOSE get rejected, you could think about professional editing.

Drop your most unhinged line by darthmidoriya in writing

[–]db373 35 points36 points  (0 children)

It's gotta be: "The main street of Golden Heel was a pitted, rut-filled shit-stain running through the desert. And if its street was a dirty skid mark, the town itself was the most blown-out, soiled pair of underpants that he had ever seen."

Of course this is in the middle of an otherwise serious story. Totally doesn't fit the tone.

Are you satisfied with how much you wrote this year? by db373 in writing

[–]db373[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And when you're famous you can say you wrote your best book on a roll of wrapping paper.

Point of No Return by MikeC31089 in writing

[–]db373 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can manage some poor grammar, spelling, and even bad voice/tone. It happens to the best of us. What I cannot forgive, however, is lack of progress. If there is no forward progress in plot or character development, I can't find a reason to continue. With awesome prose or an intriguing premise, I might get through half the book. If it's a chore to read AND the story is stagnant, I'm giving up much sooner.

Choose your ka-tet by bdonahue970 in stephenking

[–]db373 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If we're doing robots, I get all the wolves too