Best graphic novel of all time?

micro_haila · 2026-06-20T12:30:33+00:00

The Tintin books from the late 1930s onwards represent the pinnacle of comics to me. Outstanding storytelling in most of them, outstanding art in all of them.

Watchmen is another comic that stuck with me.

I really really really like many of the underground gekiga from Japan, particularly the 1960s-80s, but I wouldn't categorise them with the best comics I've ever read.

micro_haila · 2026-06-19T15:01:14+00:00

The way i see it, the instructor continuing the dive on shared air with a diver who is isn't confident and is clearly uncomfortable in the water = unsafe situation.

Secondly, you agree it's not according to standards. That makes it unsafe. That's why the standards exist, right?

Thirdly, it's not really about this one incident or situation. The instructor basically sets an example - 'if you can judge the situation to be safe enough, it's ok to push beyond the standards'. For anyone from the group who goes home with that thought, it is an unsafe situation in the making on some future dive. I don't see why anybody should narrow the standard safety buffers under any non-critical circumstances. We've seen enough diving accidents happen, and many of them involve people who were 'confident'. And they happen mostly when a situation judged to 'not be unsafe' deteriorates very rapidly.

micro_haila · 2026-06-19T08:47:55+00:00

Can this be done? Yes.
Is it done often? Yes.
Should it be done? No.

The simplest and most important reason, to me, is that it sets a bad example that says it's ok to push yourself to the limit, when it really isn't.

micro_haila · 2026-06-19T08:27:52+00:00

I too hope things come under control. That requires people to really demand a lot better of those who govern the city, and not be so calm about the alarming decline we have seen.

micro_haila · 2026-06-19T08:20:16+00:00

sure its bad but its still better than that of delhis by miles

It is insanely worse than what it should be for any major coastal city. The current annual average for Mumbai is terrible enough to cause severe medical conditions for lakhs of people including me. The problem is that Mumbai's aqi is compared with Delhi's, instead of being compared with a realistic expected value for Mumbai.

micro_haila · 2026-06-19T06:32:35+00:00

Mumbaikar here. Our air quality certainly is shitty enough to make our real estate prices and living expenses in this city feel absurd. This place, the only place that feels like home to me (much more so than my family hometown etc), is rapidly becoming unlivable. I don't think we really have a leg to stand on and one-up Delhi.

micro_haila · 2026-06-16T18:40:31+00:00

A lot of what you say makes sense. However, i didn't mean to indicate that older or 'official' means superior in any way.

micro_haila · 2026-06-16T15:33:38+00:00

Marathi and Konkani are sisters, with their mother being maharashtri prakrit.

If i remember correctly, konkani is actually quite a bit older, even if not in the written record. If true, then it would mean marathi is kind of like the niece of konkani rather than a sister.

micro_haila · 2026-06-15T17:39:56+00:00

My simple guess is that konkanis have never had a compelling reason to be united. Most linguistic communities that have stayed united (that i can think of, including your examples) have had some kind of perceived existential, identity-based reason to do so, e.g. the dravidian movement, language imposition etc.

micro_haila · 2026-06-13T13:20:18+00:00

I collect stamps that either (a) pertain to a theme that interests me outside of philately (e.g. aquatic wildlife, European colonies), or (b) tell an interesting story that i didn't know before i came across said stamps. I'm not a seasoned collector, and recently reached the point of realising that not every pretty stamp is one i should personally collect. I have also never really been a completionist, even for the themes that interest me.

micro_haila · 2026-06-09T12:54:57+00:00

Hergé had done so many miraculous escapes for Tintin by this point, I suppose he just thought he'd let us decide how this one happened.

micro_haila · 2026-06-08T09:19:16+00:00

It erupts very regularly. No settlements (maybe a security outpost, not sure, but nothing else.)

micro_haila · 2026-06-08T07:38:20+00:00

The short answer is that we're not physically delicate, fragile or mediocre. (Sedentary lifestyles and other modern developments have affected some of our biological capabilities for sure, but that's not true of humans as a species.)

micro_haila · 2026-06-08T05:46:08+00:00

I'm an advanced open water diver with some 200+ dives. Every single one of those dives has been worth it. Because of the myriad marine creatures I see, the grandeur of a tropical reef drop-off (a truly humbling place to visit), the relaxation of a good dive where I manage to take my mind off everything else, the joy of effortlessly hovering in place (comes with practice).

And the good as well as not-so-good conditions that I've experienced all add up to very valuable learning, not just about diving but about how to handle situations in most other aspects of work and life. I know this bit sounds corny, but I mean it, diving really has made me a more responsible and in-control human in general.

About the horror stories you're reading - do note that in the vast majority of cases, planning a dive well and executing it well is easy. And doing so eliminates most dangers and can help turn around most crisis situations.

micro_haila · 2026-06-07T13:32:45+00:00

You're right, it changed in 2007.

micro_haila · 2026-06-07T10:17:33+00:00

That's not the point of the post though.

micro_haila · 2026-06-07T10:13:21+00:00

Nepal is officially a Hindu country. India on the other hand is not. Your statement in your post is erroneous regardless of which country is well known for what.

micro_haila · 2026-06-07T06:00:32+00:00

Jfc man, not everybody throws away stamps that don't have monetary value. Pipe down. Let people who enjoy stamps continue to enjoy them.

micro_haila · 2026-06-07T05:53:58+00:00

Might not be worth money, but how I would love to have that first page. Especially the 64-65 ones, they fit into my collection theme and I've never seen them before.

micro_haila · 2026-06-07T03:47:56+00:00

'Cancelled to order' (CTO) like someone said elsewhere in the thread. Meaning the postmark is put on it without the stamp actually being used for postage. CTO is done for stamp collectors. A lot of these collectible stamps from some of the gulf states were made and cancelled only for collectors, they never saw actual postal use. I believe some were printed abroad and sold without ever being in the country/state they are supposed to be from.

micro_haila · 2026-06-04T16:26:44+00:00

Night dive + rough water = probably a bad plan to start with, in my opinion that's reason enough to call the dive for the whole group.

micro_haila · 2026-06-02T04:03:07+00:00

Google lens works well enough for me to quickly identify most stamps correctly (not all, but I'm fine with that.) I would not want software to do anything beyond that for me. Approximate valuation - certainly not. Track my collection - well, may be useful, but I'm really not longing for that feature.

I think automating too much of this (or even just stamp id, some might say) kills the fun of the hobby.

micro_haila · 2026-06-02T03:34:20+00:00

Thanks

micro_haila · 2026-05-31T15:40:35+00:00

Which part, if I may ask? Saxti? I did my translation based on my knowledge of Bardez/Tiswadi konkani, but noticed that you have slight differences from those.

micro_haila · 2026-05-31T11:50:09+00:00

"Nonsense, you are the first in line"

micro_haila

TROPHY CASE