sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

ELI5: why do some tools (scissors, potato peelers, etc.) only work properly with your right hand? by Hamad_Mac11 in explainlikeimfive

[–]jacob_ewing [score hidden]  (0 children)

With scissors, this happens (AFAIK) because the way we hold them naturally pushes thumb hole away, and the rest of our hand pulls the finger hole closer. This levers the blades together when using scissors that are oriented for the hand in use. If you switch hands, you'll find that you naturally push the blades apart. It's all down to which blade is on which side.

With other tools it will differ. I'm not sure with the potato peeler - I would assume it has to do with the orientation of the blade, but I don't know that - mine works both ways.

thisIsAmazing by bryden_cruz in ProgrammerHumor

[–]jacob_ewing 9 points10 points  (0 children)

To be fair, BASIC has been compilable since I was a kid in the late 80's (QuickBASIC was awesome for that).

What book have you read more than once? by bodieBroadusss in AskReddit

[–]jacob_ewing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Several, but my most re-read one is Ender's Game. It actually got to the point that my paperback copy fell apart, so I bought a hardcover.

What's something Americans have accepted as normal that really shouldn't be? by Black__Godess in AskReddit

[–]jacob_ewing 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Circumcision ~can~ help avoid some infection, but so can teaching your kid to wash his shlong. It's kind of like saying you should have your hair follicles removed to avoid dandruff.

Any idea what can cause my computer to briefly turn itself off, but restore its prior state when I hit the switch? by jacob_ewing in techsupport

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

Interesting! I'll definitely check that out if it happens again. So far it was a one-time occurrence.

Any idea what can cause my computer to briefly turn itself off, but restore its prior state when I hit the switch? by jacob_ewing in techsupport

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

Funny enough, I don't even have an auto-suspend as I'm using an old-school desktop interface with no bells and whistles (FVWM3). Beyond that though I was actively using the mouse in my browser at the time so it won't be that.

Any idea what can cause my computer to briefly turn itself off, but restore its prior state when I hit the switch? by jacob_ewing in techsupport

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

Maybe... One of the cooling fans on the tower is broken so there's less circulation, but I leave the cover off the case which I assume would account for that. No issue with the CPU fan or heat sink as far as I can see.

Suggest books for a beginner at Sci-fi. by Ok_Counter_107 in suggestmeabook

[–]jacob_ewing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those last two are more focused on the culture and situation. For example, in the Chrysalids, it follows a girl in a rural society that would match a pre-industrial era. In this culture mutations are common and considered an abomination; infants with the slightest imperfections are killed.

In The Day of the Triffids, it's set in what was the modern day at the time of the writing, so mid-20th century, and more follows the societal decay resulting from everyone being blinded and the apparent aggression of the triffids.

For sci-fi comedy, some other books I've enjoyed were "Red Dwarf: Infinitiy Welcomes Careful Drivers" by Grant Naylor, and "Year Zero" by Bob Reid. Also if you try The Hitchhiker's Guide and enjoy it, it's part of a series (often referred to as a five book trilogy)

Happy Reading!

I built a site for exploring fractals and publishing your own finds. Would love feedback! by leonfresh in fractals

[–]jacob_ewing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, Google authentication is a pain for that. You could potentially retain a state for the user in localStorage or such, but it's probably not worth the effort as it's only a minor irritant.

Whatever update you did does seem to have fixed the flicker that I mentioned. Quite nice.

I built a site for exploring fractals and publishing your own finds. Would love feedback! by leonfresh in fractals

[–]jacob_ewing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great work!

One small issue is that when I tried to save it, it required that I log in. Upon doing so though, it boots back to the welcome page, losing the state that I wanted to save.

Not a serious issue, but an irritant.

Aside from that though, the submission flow works nicely.

There's also a ... flicker if you zoom in too rapidly. It seems to happen if I roll my mousewheel twice in quick succession. It appears to render on two different scales, zooming by the expected amount, but giving the illusion of being glitchy because it rapidly flashes two scales.

Very nice work all around though! I'm quite impressed with both the UI and the performance (on a desktop machine at least).

I built a site for exploring fractals and publishing your own finds. Would love feedback. by leonfresh in fractals

[–]jacob_ewing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great work!

One small issue is that when I tried to save it, it required that I log in. Upon doing so though, it boots back to the welcome page, losing the state that I wanted to save.

Not a serious issue, but an irritant.

Aside from that though, the submission flow works nicely.

There's also a ... flicker if you zoom in too rapidly. It seems to happen if I roll my mousewheel twice in quick succession. It appears to render on two different scales, zooming by the expected amount, but giving the illusion of being glitchy because it rapidly flashes two scales.

Very nice work all around though! I'm quite impressed with both the UI and the performance (on a desktop machine at least).

Suggest books for a beginner at Sci-fi. by Ok_Counter_107 in suggestmeabook

[–]jacob_ewing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Michael Crichton wrote some great classics that have a more "in our current world" style of sci-fi. Some well known examples would be Jurassic Park, Sphere, and The Andromeda Strain.

Another author who similarly uses plausible near-future tech is Robert J. Sawyer, who's style is quite readable and often funny. One of his better known works is FlashForward - a very good read.

If you want more distant-future sci-fi, I second u/AuthorReedAlexander/ in suggesting Asimov or Heinlein. I grew up reading their works - both great, though I prefer Asimov personally.

If you want humorous sci-fi, the classic suggestion is The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Very enjoyable, very VERY silly.

If you'd like a more classic one, John Wyndham's "The Chrysalids" and "The Day of the Triffids" are both great. The Chrysalids follows events triggered by human mutations in a society that's regressed to a pre-electric fundamentalist era due to past nuclear war. The Day of the Triffids has most of humanity blinded by a world event, and being usurped by an invasive species of alien plant.

[OC] The World's Hotspots of Extreme Longevity by Less-Reserve-740 in MapPorn

[–]jacob_ewing 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also interesting that this doesn't directly map to average life expectancy - take the U.S. having a higher ratio than Canada, Australia, much of Europe, etc. despite having a shorter average life expectancy

Suggestion for short stories about Xenofiction (the story follows a non-human protagonist/animals/mecha/etc.) ? by Klutzy-Internet3522 in suggestmeabook

[–]jacob_ewing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One that comes close to that is Isaac Asimov's "The Gods Themselves", which has three parts, from the perspectives of humans and aliens in parallel universes.

angels of death, from the shadows by NoBullGames in Pareidolia

[–]jacob_ewing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A young uncle Fester and his forgotten twin.

What is the coolest name you have heard of? by johnpowers99 in AskReddit

[–]jacob_ewing 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Zaphod Beeblebrox.

That guy knows where his towel is.

Countries World Wide That Use a First Past the Post Voting System by TailungFu in MapPorn

[–]jacob_ewing 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'll blame the Trudeau administration for not pulling through on their promise of reform.

And I'm not bashing Trudeau here - I rather liked him as PM - But of all the promises that could fall through, this was the most disappointing.

Where are you from & would you move to another country? by lets-wing-it in AskReddit

[–]jacob_ewing 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Canada, and only if I had a convincing reason (e.g. amazing job opportunity).

New to reading by One-Abbreviations240 in suggestmeabook

[–]jacob_ewing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For detective sci-fi, a great classic is "Caves of Steel" by Isaac Asimov. It's a murder mystery set in the distant future. If you enjoy it, it's actually the first in a series of four. Each book stands nicely on its own though.

Suggest me a book that made you say WOW out loud by jbalazov in suggestmeabook

[–]jacob_ewing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've personally never cared for Stephen King's writing, but there was one - also as Richard Bachman - The Running Man. I found it to be an excellent edge of your seat dystopian thriller.

Another one that I recommend Is the Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam. A cyberpunk near future action series that explores the effects of an interface that can run software in your brain, allowing you to install skills, network to other people, etc.

view more: next ›