[Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

[DirkGently]

A time traveler! Get 'em!

Oh damn me too. 2023 is old news in NZ, I can't wait for 2024 tbh.

[duducrash]

I like sports. If there is a game on, I'll provable watch it. Dont care what sport or the quality of the players, but I enjoy.

Today I was trying to relax and I saw a man nearly die, and am still unsure on his status playing american football. Anxiety is high now. I dont think this sport has a place anymore in today's society. Its sad but you can see young men die out there, sometimes a slow death, or like today a disaster.

We also have to wonder if 24Hour news cycles are a net good for society. We are breeding vultures

[tstorm823]

Today I was trying to relax and I saw a man nearly die, and am still unsure on his status playing american football. Anxiety is high now. I dont think this sport has a place anymore in today's society.

This is not a problem with specifically gridiron football. You saw the kind of freak heart event that can and does happen regularly in pretty much every athletic activity, even those with no contact like distance running. The NFL has a unique concussion problem, certainly, but that is not this.

[Dunharrow]

@duducrash It is definitely scary. I remember when Richard Zedník sliced his carotid artery and was spurting blood like a sprinkler.

It won't stop the sports machine though.

[Toshi]

It has been the third time in my life i've seen something like this on live TV.
Back in '07 i've seen Antonio Puerta collapse, get back up, only to collapse again backstage and die. Then again in '21 Christian Eriksen's collapse at the football Euros was the most graphic one, as you were able to see most of the attempts to save his life. Yesterday's events brought up similar feels and i am under no illusion that unfortunate things like these will never stop the sports machinery, especially with the money involved these days.

On the topic of MTG, i just uploaded my most recent, somewhat unique build and would appreciate you taking a look at it here.

Anyhow, everyone have a great start into the year!

[Guardman]

Rant Below

I feel like an old man, but why the hell are phones so big nowadays? I thought my old phone which was 5.75" tall was big, but the "smallest" phone I could get a free upgrade on is 6.5". It just barely fits in my front pocket and not at all comfortably. And I'm 6'3" with large hands. It is a little wider than is comfortable for me, which means for most people, it won't fit comfortably in their hands. And they make bigger phones. Much bigger phones. How do they carry and hold these things? And the screen is so much taller than it is wide that even on its side it has way too much dead screen space that I can't see.

Also, why the hell is the Android 12 lock screen clock like that.

SPOILER

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Like, who thought this would be a good idea? It's awkward to read and looks awful. And the worst part is that I can't even change how it looks on my phone because I don't have the type of phone that allows it to be changed apparently.

And it doesn't even get 5G at my condo, despite that being the whole reason I got the upgrade in the first place. My place has terrible reception and needs a booster despite being told time and time again that my place is fully covered by all the major carriers. Plus I sometimes randomly miss calls and texts. And this time they guaranteed it would fix the problem if I upgraded to 5G.

I don't think I'm an old man yelling at clouds, because all I want is a 5 to 6" smartphone that is cheap with a decent camera. I was able to get that three years ago, but I can't get it now.

Luckily I ordered it and didn't do the store trade in so I am probably just going to send it back and keep my old phone.

On the bright side, the case I ordered for the phone works great and has this cool metal kickstand that twirls around so I can stand it up either on its side or while standing up. Maybe I will see if I can get something like that for my old phone so I don't need to lean it against my headphones case when I watch my shows during lunch.

[pokken]

I switched to iPhone because of the size inflation in modern android phones. My iPhone 13 is a super nice size and has great performance and battery life. Everything just works. No random manufacturer ecosystem bs. Sure there are downsides but man it is nice not needing to mess around with my phone.

There are reasonably sized android phones but they tend to be obscure brands with no support and 90 day warranties and garbage hardware.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Man, you guys care too much about phones. I make my phone last ~2 years, then whenever it breaks, I go buy whatever phone my carrier is willing to sell me for <$100 bucks.

All phones are planned obsolescence garbage, regardless of make/model. Thus, the only logical choice is to give as few %$#% as possible about them, just like any other disposable thing.

[Guardman]

Man, you guys care too much about phones. I make my phone last ~2 years, then whenever it breaks, I go buy whatever phone my carrier is willing to sell me for <$100 bucks.

All phones are planned obsolescence garbage, regardless of make/model. Thus, the only logical choice is to give as few %$#% as possible about them, just like any other disposable thing.

I'm not really a phone person. Honestly I hate phones with a burning passion. And the fact that anyone can text or call me from anywhere at anytime as long as they know my number is horrifying. Plus, because of my hearing problem I can barely understand people on phones half the time. I live in dread of the ringing of the phone as it is either a spam caller or someone wanting to talk to me. The only reason I have a phone is because my parents guilted me into having one (plus apparently people don't like to hire you if they can't get a hold of you for some reason).

Also don't get me started on plan obsolescence. I like any major investment I buy to last at least ten years. But now you will be lucky to get 10-years out of a car without it falling a part on you, let alone things like phones, computers, furniture, appliances, tvs, cookware, sofas... etc.

So while I don't care about phones, I do care when something that I need to carry around with me all day is uncomfortable to hold in my hand, uncomfortable to have in my pocket, and one of the few features I liked about smartphones, the clock on the lock screen, is so poorly designed that it is hard to read. And all of the smaller phones are super expensive for some reason. Unless I go through my carrier I have to pay at least $300 for a phone less than 6" that I can use for work. I don't even want to pay $100 for a phone. I had this great little burner smartphone I got for $40 like 13 years ago. It was the best. Never broke. Was small. Had a decent camera. The only reason I had to get rid of it was it was no longer supported and the battery was starting to fade a bit. The thing literally lasted 10 years because it was so cheap.

And don't get me started about needing phones for work now and the ever present email. Or needing to verify things via text to log into them.

It's not like I want a phone, but if I need to have one, I would at least like it to not be a pain in the ass to use. But like I said, I am giving it a few days and probably going back to my older, smaller phone that has a normal looking clock on the lock screen. Maybe even treat myself to a new case with the same kickstand as the case I bought for my new, hated phone.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

@Guardman hear hear! I hate the phones too, for many of the reasons you listed. The employment thing is especially stupid. I applied for a job at a local university last summer when my phone's screen was 80% busted, and met all of their hiring criteria EXCEPT that their %$#% time clock required two factor authentication which I could not do with my broken phone screen.

One of these days, I'm gonna buy into a landline and an old school answering machine and just say %$#% it, if I'm not home you can feel free to leave a %$#%$#% message after the beep.

[Jemolk]

@Guardman hear hear! I hate the phones too, for many of the reasons you listed. The employment thing is especially stupid. I applied for a job at a local university last summer when my phone's screen was 80% busted, and met all of their hiring criteria EXCEPT that their %$#% time clock required two factor authentication which I could not do with my broken phone screen.

One of these days, I'm gonna buy into a landline and an old school answering machine and just say %$#% it, if I'm not home you can feel free to leave a %$#%$#% message after the beep.

Oh god, the thing about requiring 2-factor authentication. The hell is their threat model, that this would be necessary? Are they expecting the Chinese government to try to hack my personal email address or something? Because that's what it would take for my passphrases not to be sufficient. And sure, I understand that most people don't have my level of password hygiene, but that's why you teach them better ways of doing things and make it as easy as possible to do things in those better ways. Even more inexcusable when it's a university that's doing this, when teaching is supposed to be the whole purpose of the entire institution. Some people really do seem to think that forceful domination is the best or maybe even only way of getting people to do something.

[duducrash]

I love phones for everything, except the whole phone thing. I love having a mini pc in my hanfs that has access to everything. I work listening To podcasts everyday, I watch anime or tv shows doing aerobic in the gym, I play games. Its great

I just hate how Im "online" 24/7 now. If someone whatsapps me a problem when im OoO I'll still see and get anxiety. I miss msn messenger and icq, which I could just log in and then id be online. Now everyone feels free to message anytime and I get anxiety. I also have some diction problems and talk to fast/stutter some so actual phone calls are nightmare

[Hermes_]

Oh god, the thing about requiring 2-factor authentication. The hell is their threat model, that this would be necessary?

Your problem is OTHER players people.

__

I'm sick of my chromebook, and while I enjoyed it when i first got it it's now a PITA. I plan to switch to a normal laptop next month.

[Lifeless]

You guys crack me up with the MFA talk. I spend a lot of my work time having to advocate for MFA to reduce insurance costs for clients. A quick check on my phone shows that I have 17 different totp codes for various systems. Imagine what my life is like if my phone breaks, lol.

[folding_music]

I use my phone precisely for logging into stuff lol
cultivated this powerfully useless persona to the point where in an emergency no-one would ever gneed to contact me so I dont ever need to turn it on. tadaaaah!

I need that Nils Hamm secret lair but I promised never to buy one, maybe I trade for all the cards in it individually? every card looks amazing

[materpillar]

I use my phone for playing a bunch of Marvel Snap. I'm also extremely directionally challenged so GPS is a lifesaver.

@Dunadain @ISBPathfinder
You guys still playing Marvel Snap? I got into it three months ago and have been having a blast. I've been smashing people with Sandman + Dr. Doom this past week. It was most enjoyable.

[Guardman]

I'm also extremely directionally challenged so GPS is a lifesaver.

I still haven't figured out how to use directions on my phone (I've tried like three different times and it never talks to me and I don't know why). It's why I still insist that every car I buy has built in GPS... Which usually means dolling out cash for the top of the line Kia Soul.

[Venedrex]

DID SOMEONE SAY DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED?


I got lost yesterday driving in the same town I've lived in for the past thirteen years because I went down a different street. I am the king of not knowing where I am while driving. Unless it's to work, school, or the grocery store, I get confused. Without google maps on my phone, I'd never be able to travel anywhere new successfully. I'm the guy who would be in the middle of nowhere and confidently start going in one direction only to realize I've seen that stump before.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

%$#% it, if I ditch my phone I'll buy a TomTom or a road atlas. The maps on phones are super useful, but I was a boy scout and I can read a map. Need to buy a new compass though, mine is inexplicably damaged and refuses to acknowledge North as a direction worth pointing at.

[TheGildedGoose]

Neo-luddites.

[ISBPathfinder]

I use my phone for playing a bunch of Marvel Snap. I'm also extremely directionally challenged so GPS is a lifesaver.

@Dunadain @ISBPathfinder
You guys still playing Marvel Snap? I got into it three months ago and have been having a blast. I've been smashing people with Sandman + Dr. Doom this past week. It was most enjoyable.

Yea I think I have something like 17 cards left to pool 3. My favorite deck currently is a self brew using Beast and Falcon doing Angila / Collector things with a Dino top end. It kind of gets murdered as all hell by Leader but I like it short of that.

[Hermes_]

I'm highly tempted to post asking about the legality vis vie the player of the RL on https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/ but i think i'd get banned from that sub

[Lifeless]

I too have been Snapping a lot. Around CL 1800. I am a shameless Wong player. At least it's better than a shameless Zabu player.

[materpillar]

Yea I think I have something like 17 cards left to pool 3. My favorite deck currently is a self brew using Beast and Falcon doing Angila / Collector things with a Dino top end. It kind of gets murdered as all hell by Leader but I like it short of that.

I really love the Dino top end. I've been using my gold for variants not credits because I don't care that much about speeding up my collection progression. I've got a pretty Dino and Moon Girl. The first season I played in pool 2 I hit infinite with the Dinos so they're probably my favorite deck. Gotta love that roar!

I was having a lot of trouble with the Dino deck in pool 3 just because the Dino gets blown out by Shang Chi / enchantress / Leader and often outstated by random Sera into Surfer/Patriot BS. I also still don't have mystique which helps that deck a lot I think. I flipped to a more controlling Sandman deck that absolutely crushes the Turn 6 play all my cards in a huge burst deck. It drops a bunch of power turn 1-3 with Lizard / Mysterio and friends. Turn 4 Sandman. Turn 5 Klaw. Turn 6 blow them out. I've basically spent this entire season Cosmoing Leaders/Surfers/Ultron on T6. Another delight is barely winning two lanes, having your opponent snap and then pulling their Leader into their only winning lane with Aero. Just Chef's Kiss.

The deck has very poor matchups against Destroyer and Dino decks but those are pretty rare compared to T6 combo stupid.

I too have been Snapping a lot. Around CL 1800. I am a shameless Wong player. At least it's better than a shameless Zabu player.

Wong was my first Pool 3 card. I love him too. What flavor of Wong. I hit infinite with just White Tiger / Odin my second season. Black Panther + Zola? Gambit murder? Surfer 3s? I think Wong is pretty fair compared to a lot of stuff in this game but I run Cosmo in literally every deck party because of him, so maybe he isn't. Dunno he's fun for sure.


Oh my newest deck is called "I really want Galactus". It plays both Goblins and I am to randomly pull Galactus off Nick Fury. Deck is awful but I've managed to pull it off once which felt amazing.

[Hermes_]

okay because i'm dumb can someone explain the following terms:

Fast lands
Slow lands
Tangos
Triomes
and any other references along those lines.