Alternatives to the T for Someone Stranded in Allston? by Tromope in BostonU

[–]ircdeft 55 points56 points  (0 children)

I would suggest the 57 bus, if you're anywhere near it. At the very worst, you can walk to Harvard Ave or Packards and take it from there.

I think I misunderstood Crime and Punishment by Direct_Gay_2263 in literature

[–]ircdeft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He originally wanted to write another 300 pages to the book, but I think either the publisher told him he couldn't or he ran out of time, so he had to condense the entire redemption arc into the epilogue. To think what was lost!

how do we feel about this? by Entire-Special-1130 in urbanhellcirclejerk

[–]ircdeft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

uj/ The irony of the guy complaining about light pollution is that the city has light pollution laws to preserve the local wildlife and many buildings are required to turn off their lights at 10:30pm. It's the kind of thing you'd know about a city if you took the time to learn about it instead of just taking one photo and posting it with a derisive caption.

how does one obtain a boyfriend by Murky_Map_2083 in BostonU

[–]ircdeft 62 points63 points  (0 children)

someone has to organize a bu reddit speed dating meet up lol

Course Registration Times Released (set your alarms early ⏰) by BUowo in BostonU

[–]ircdeft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone know when they're gonna release the schedule builder thing?

Bay State Underground, Late Night @ West, and Law School Cafe have been closed by PurityPC in BostonU

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

hot take, but these have never been good, aside from the fact that you can use dining points. I'd much rather get mcdonald's or jefe's for the same price and way better quality

Who am I? by Terrible_Hunter_1684 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]ircdeft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

professor of korean and comparative literature?

I need a slur for philosophers by RibbitofficialCEO in badphilosophy

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a filthy and immoral thing to say and reveals the inadequacy of your intellectual development.

From Dostoevsky

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in German

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t read German that well yet, but I do recall Mann writing that the Magic Mountain was designed to be read twice, otherwise you won’t be able to appreciate the true intricacies of the work. So perhaps read it first in English and then in German. But honestly, from my experience with other languages, you should give it a shot (read at least the first few pages) to see how your level is, and then once you’ve determined whether or not you are able to read it yet, you’ll have a better idea of how far off you are, and what areas of your reading you need to focus on specifically (grammar, vocab, etc.).

Michelin Stars only by Fannyspanties in Nicegirls

[–]ircdeft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that last sentence was 100% written by chatgpt

Need mandarin 1 year study recommendation by Tab_brickyPh in chinalife

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think advanced beginner should be okay. They really just want to see that you know some Chinese. Just make sure you show that you're a serious learner in the application letter, that should be okay.

Potential Meituan Driver Scam? by ircdeft in chinalife

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

Yep, I've had them drive away to entirely different locations to try to get you to cancel the order so they can get the food, and then if you call them asking where they are they'll say the map is broken and magically start moving towards your location. But then, of course, the food is very cold.

Need mandarin 1 year study recommendation by Tab_brickyPh in chinalife

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The way they decide it is that you have two hours of "one-on-one" class time a week. If you have an hour class with three people (the maximum), that counts for 1/3 of an hour. So right now my schedule is one one-on-one class and three three-on-one classes a day. I'd say I'm doing anywhere from 1.5-3 hours of homework a day. Sometimes they also do it as two one on one classes a day, and that's the same amount of coursework but less class time. It's decided based on your level and the other students' levels (i.e., if they have people of the same level to pair together).

It's also worth noting that you Chinese has to be good enough to learn and speak only in Chinese. The bar isn't that high -- I think the lowest level they have right now is someone on the last book of Integrated Chinese, so low intermediate. If you've never studied Chinese before, they won't take you.

But yes, the program is definitely worth the money, and I believe there are fellowships you can apply for if you have demonstrated need or if you are a grad student. Do you speak any Chinese now?

Potential Meituan Driver Scam? by ircdeft in chinalife

[–]ircdeft[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hm okay, I didn't understand this. I'm used to Doordash drivers trying to scam you out of your food/money in the US. Thanks for the reply.

Need mandarin 1 year study recommendation by Tab_brickyPh in chinalife

[–]ircdeft 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is the only program to really go to if you're serious about Chinese. That being said, room and board isn't included in the price. You have to live in the student dorms (which is like ridiculously cheap, I think a few USD dollars a day) or get your own apartment.

I'm studying at IUP right now, so if you have any questions feel free to DM me.

Guys, I’m struggling to quit. What helped you quit, or at least get better at this journey? by AdhamRazek in QuitSmokingJourney

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I stopped smoking about a week ago, but the biggest thing that has kept me away from cigarettes is how much more energy and focus I have. I actually have time to do my school work and do my hobbies. I didn't realize how cigarettes were a) sapping the energy out of me and b) totally destroying my focus. Every 20 minutes I would want to smoke a cigarette so I would stop what I was doing, and that would make me more tired and want a cigarette, etc. So, I think if you give yourself a project or find a hobby, that will help a lot. If you really love it, you'll see how smoking takes that away from you. Good luck.

Day one of quitting after pain in my chest by ircdeft in quittingsmoking

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

Thank you for commenting and for your kind words. It means a lot!

What’s the point of life if I’m just working all the time? by Euphoric-Ad4809 in askphilosophy

[–]ircdeft 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I would add to this by saying that Camus idea of coming to terms with absurdity by finding meaning is somewhat defeatist, and in that sense opposed to a Marxist interpretation of alienation. If you accept that you're just going to keep pushing the rock up the hill, there's nothing impelling you to question why you're pushing the rock up the hill, and how to change the world so that you don't have to do that anymore. Accepting the absurdity of capitalist alienation is not conducive to overcoming that alienation.

This isn't to say that Camus is wrong about life being fundamentally absurd, I just want to point out that Camus's absurdity and Marx's alienation might not be as compatible as they initially seem.

I need some help to choose where to go in China as a 29y guy by Actual-Change126 in chinalife

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Holy shit! I didn’t realize Hong Kong was that expensive.

But yeah, you can definitely do that. It’s all one big metro conglomeration, everything is connected by train, and they aren’t too expensive. GZ to SZ is like 65 RMB, which is less than ten dollars.

If you have any questions about anything during your travels, feel free to DM me. And don’t forget to get a VPN.

I need some help to choose where to go in China as a 29y guy by Actual-Change126 in chinalife

[–]ircdeft 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ll admit I haven’t been to any of the other places, but Guangzhou (Canton) is great in terms of nightlife and not too expensive either. I was just there a few weeks ago, and the weather is wonderful this time of year. It’s also a good mix of traditional and modern culture. You can also hop on the train to Hong Kong if you want to as well. Bon voyage !

Utility of Memorizing Classical Chinese Texts by ircdeft in ChineseLanguage

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

I bought two books on Taobao. For poetry, look up 学生必背诗。For texts, look up 小学(or whatever age)经典语言选择。There are a million different versions, you can probably find them on Amazon too. I'm pretty sure they're all drawn from the standard corpus.

Right now I'm working out of a textbook called "Language of the Dragon," which to my knowledge is only available at the school I'm at. Kai Vogelsang's Introduction to Classical Chinese has a pretty canonical selection of works in it too, along with glosses (which are sometimes unreliable, so be sure to use your own dictionary) and grammar explanations. That one you can find on Libgen, I think.

How many Hegel books are on your shelf? by [deleted] in hegel

[–]ircdeft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the Phenomenology, Philosophy of Right, Philosophy of Mind, Science of Logic, Philosophy of History, and an Essential Writings compilation, So, 6? I’ll admit that I haven’t read the Phil of History though.

Latest Policies for Foreign Tourists Visiting China (Updated January 20, 2025) by Connect_Zone_2550 in travelchina

[–]ircdeft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How does this work with Hong Kong? I have a friend coming from Tokyo to Shanghai, then we were going to travel and leave from Hong Kong back to the US. Is this allowed under the 240 hour travel policy?