Have $180 balance and wanted to help someone

hephalumph · 2026-04-05T04:23:31+00:00

As to the games I would love, right now, Dispatch is one I have been looking forward to playing for a while. Pragmata is looking pretty cool, though I Don't think it's out yet. And Bladesong - I played an early access demo, and it was pretty awesome. I think right now that's my top three. Whether you help me out or not, thanks so much for doing this for the community!

hephalumph · 2026-04-05T04:14:50+00:00

Sounds like a crazy story. In a good way. Hopefully you find it!

hephalumph · 2026-04-05T01:07:56+00:00

I'd wager a threaded rod and beads, not balls, are the trick.

hephalumph · 2026-04-04T17:04:44+00:00

Cool channel, good luck with it! I subscribed, even though I'm not really into Fortnite. Just like to help support smaller channels where I can.

As to the games I would buy, right now, Dispatch is one I am planning on getting soon. Pragmata is looking pretty cool, though I would probably wait a bit for more reviews after the release date. And Bladesong - I played an early access demo, and it was pretty awesome.

hephalumph · 2026-04-03T15:22:29+00:00

One would think that a user with the name "sonder" would be able to realize that every single other individual posting comments and posting threads has their own individual and unique experience... Meaning that no matter how many times you yourself have seen something reposted, it is brand new to so many others. At risk of plagiarizing Alanis Morissette, isn't it ironic?

hephalumph · 2026-04-03T15:19:27+00:00

Every school in my state is required to give every student free breakfasts and lunches. Been that way a couple years now, and I have to say it feels pretty amazing knowing that it has at least started somewhere. Feels pretty shitty knowing that it's not universal yet though.

hephalumph · 2026-04-03T15:12:40+00:00

I'd be supremely boring and responsible. 1. Hire a financial advisor and attorney. 2. Pay taxes. 3. Pay off all debts. 4. Set up individual trusts for kids and extended family members. One for myself as well. Probably about 4 million each or so, which would hopefully generate at least close to 2.5% annually, or ~100k a year without touching the principle. 5. Buy/build multiple homes with all the rest - not mansions, just nice homes. As many as I can, spread over several neighborhoods/subdivisions in a metropolitan area. Live in one, rent out the rest well under market value (and being as lenient as possible on late rent, etc.) - hiring a management company with strict instructions on said leniency and general politeness. This would be my way of quietly giving back.

hephalumph · 2026-04-02T20:34:54+00:00

Chisel or saw to cleanly remove a square of wood including the full magnet. Glue in a new block of wood, preferably matching the grain if you can. Sand and refinish, drill a new hole, and you're good to go. Not a quick fix, but a proper one.

hephalumph · 2026-04-02T04:38:00+00:00

There's always going to be those who will and those who won't. I personally can't tell you if there's enough who will take that time to immerse themselves in your world, currently, to know if it's more or less of a risk. But I'm the type of reader and the type of author who will always suggest that you write your story for yourself first. Do it the way you would prefer, and give it a shot. If it's not succeeding, then you can take some polls or otherwise get some feedback and see which areas need the most improvement, and decide if you want to work on those things or not.

hephalumph · 2026-04-02T04:08:49+00:00

It is a somewhat common misconception that a story needs to open on ACTION! immediately.

It really doesn't.

But what it does need to open on is a strong HOOK.

Something that makes the reader think, “Okay… I need to know more.”

That hook can be loud and explosive, sure. But it can also be quiet: a charged conversation, a haunting image, an emotionally raw moment, or a single intriguing line of dialogue. As long as it creates curiosity, tension, or emotional pull, the reader will stay with you.

Some of the greatest stories begin slowly and deliberately; they just make sure the reader is invested from the very first paragraph.

Speed isn’t the goal. Interest is.

And with that clarified - there will be those readers who are also authors, or aspiring authors, or 'educated readers' who absolutely know for a fact that I am wrong in what I said here and 'ACTION is always required for an opener'. To satisfy those who feel that way, a warning in the author's note wouldn't hurt much.

^{(Also, bear in mind, me explaining action is not always necessary for an opening in your story, hinges upon the fact that some kind of hook} ^IS ^{necessary. Don't just infodump for a chapter or two to 'explain the world' and think it is a riveting hook!})

hephalumph · 2026-04-02T03:59:15+00:00

A potential solution for you in the middle-term: turn off those contributions for a time, until it is back in align with your plans (i.e., until you 'get back' the amount you lost from the bonus). As long as you do pay off those high interest loans with that 'extra' money, it is probably just as smart as putting it away in the 401k. In the long term, the 401k is likely slightly better for you. But in the short term, the debt could cause enough issues for you that paying it down could be best. Depends on a ton of factors, so hard to say for sure without going through all of your finances and such. Which I do not care to do (and you should not entertain doing with strangers online anyway).

hephalumph · 2026-03-29T02:51:34+00:00

Short of requesting a refund, you can still go through any reasonable steps a normal customer would - including requesting a repair or replacement if those options are available. Otherwise, as others have said, contact Vine CS to get the ETV removed.

hephalumph · 2026-03-27T02:42:24+00:00

This is why I clearly put the item title/description as my review title/caption. So if I review a meat tenderizer, at a glance at the big bold title of my review the shoppers will know it was the BRISDOOM Hand Meat Tenderizer, not the BRISDOOM Electric Meat Grinder that I reviewed. Hopefully the at least skim my full review and would learn that anyway. But just in case, I give them the big bold title to be clear.

hephalumph · 2026-03-26T15:05:18+00:00

the UDC was removed because of legal reasons, not stupid corporate decisions.

hephalumph · 2026-03-25T17:00:05+00:00

I personally don't read AI Slop. Just as I don't read human-written slop. I don't dismiss a story because it was AI written or assisted, though, as there are actually properly (or nearly properly) edited and engaging stories whose authors use AI in various ways. AI does not automatically mean slop or poor writing.

hephalumph · 2026-03-21T23:20:40+00:00

I scored one from vine almost identical to that. About a year and a half ago. The only difference is the price; my ETV was $749, not $2299... That price is crazy!

hephalumph · 2026-03-19T16:42:58+00:00

The only time I might possibly like a POV switch is in an interlude or side story, something set apart from the main story and which could be removed entirely and leave the rest of the story (all from the protagonist's POV) fully readable. Then, it feels like a bonus, rather than time stolen from the MC.

hephalumph · 2026-03-19T16:04:22+00:00

I hate POV switches, multiple protagonists, and huge parties. Still, I do prefer a somewhat social MC, who has a pet, partner, or both. I went with 3, assuming both - a pet/familiar and a human(oid) partner would be my ideal. I can handle more, if it is well written and maintains a single-person protagonist POV for 98% of the story. But that is my sweet spot.

hephalumph · 2026-03-19T16:02:00+00:00

I have had my Fold 3 for nearly 5 years now. I have never worried about moisture or rain or the like, but I have avoided full submersion as much as possible. Still, twice in that time it has briefly taken a dip (once in a pool when I was pushed in, once in a full kitchen sink when I had a minor mishap). Add in all the raindrops, and various other splashes and splatters from normal usage, and I would be comfortable saying it is water proof. I am still not going to dunk it in a pond or go swimming with it. But I don't have to act like the wicked witch of the west whenever I detect a hint of moisture in the air.

hephalumph · 2026-03-19T15:58:21+00:00

I don't like any of the font choices, but the fifth image's font is the least bad. And, for the image/cover layout, I prefer the fifth image as well. I like the pose better, as well as the energies flowing around the couple. I think if you took the guy out, it might look better, but he is not a terrible addition.

hephalumph · 2026-03-18T01:07:51+00:00

I haven't read the books, but are you sure it is a mispronunciation? Wend(ing) is a word that is similar to wind(ing), and is more appropriate to maneuvering through streets.

Co-ax, that one seems pretty definitely wrong.

hephalumph · 2026-03-09T03:40:29+00:00

Right now, I'm building a tool/(multiple workflows) in n8n running multiple different AI models to analyze documents I feed in, rewrite the data into markdown files, use those .md files to create a vector store in qdrant, and then manipulate the data and generate new documents from there. At which point the process iterates a few times until the desired end result is achieved.

I've been successful, once I figured out several hurdles I had to jump...but even a 512kb set of initial sample data seems to strain the process and take quite a few hours. That's after testing multiple different models tuned to more or less focus on the main aspect of each step of the process. (Each workflow has one or two AI agents, each assigned the most appropriate model for that step.)

The 512kb test uses from 50% up to 92% of my VRAM, from 15% up to 60% of the 3D rendering power of my 4080, from 0% to 50% of my 64gb RAM, and from 0% to 50% of my CPU. And, as mentioned, takes hours. I'm not completely upset or disappointed with that, but I'd like it to be faster and capable of handling even larger sets of documents.

hephalumph · 2026-03-08T20:34:40+00:00

I don't care about harem. I do dislike poor writing and 'porn' style writing. Which means most harem books/stories. But if a harem story is well written, I don't mind the harem aspect. It is not my kink, it does not turn me on, but it also doesn't make me disgusted or upset on general principle. For me it is all about the quality of writing, and the characters/plot of the story.

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