There is a fair bit of quality that can go into making a GOOD purely fun thing, and even when it’s pure schlock there’s no shame in that. Some times you want a steak, sometimes you want a burger. Both can be good or bad in their own ways, and neither is better than the other.
That’s a whole other set of problems, I know I’ve read articles about that too but a 15 second google didn’t find it.
If I remember right, the main issue isn’t the building shape like with skyscrapers, it has to do with power and plumbing. They’re only set up for a certain amount of usage of both, and residential is massively higher so you’d basically need to ripe it all out and do it from scratch. And considering malls are predomenantly just in the middle of empty land anyway, at that point you might as well just get the next bit over of empty land and do it from the get go with the appropriate infrastructure.
Fairly interesting overview of what’s become the “trendy” home decor style from things like HGTV and design magazines, as well a quick look at some other style trends we’ve gone through.
The article is about a kind of niche problem that I hadn’t ever considered before, appraisals for buildings in rural areas are either low because there are less people who might want them (especially for specialized new commerical construction) while building costs keep rising OR the price of land in touristy areas is so high...
Not at all to say the net balance on the pros/cons for decriminalization has tipped, especially since one of the main points the article mentions is that the funding that was supposed to social services and rehabilitation programs that went hand in hand with decriminalization has absolutely cratered over the last decade, but...
I think this is the standard recommendation, but you actually need to make sure it's designed and installed right. You need a proper air exchange, and to make sure it's sized properly to the intake you need and so on. A lot of the hoods you see are so poorly installed that you might as well wave your hands at the stove for all the good it does.
The fact this is still a thing in some places is such a weird archaic throwback. After this it'll just be New Jersey left, so at least it's slowly getting more normal.
I wish I could find the specific article about it, but it's like a decade+ old and google isn't cooperating. If I recall right though, Brave was the first film idea that Pixar put out which had entirely been conceived without the original core team at Pixar's input. All the other stuff, even if it hadn't come out when those people left yet, had been brainstormed by that group and their lack of involvement is why from that point on it all feels so much lesser than Pixar's golden age.
I think that was close to inevitable when they got bought out, though it is a huge shame. Even with an incredibly strong internal cutlure, they are under Disney's corporate leadership and the fact they aren't completely independent in terms of leadership, picking projects, and internal promotions means they'd tend to converge and be absorbed for all intents and purposes.
Clank Legacy has been an absolute blast for my wife and I (we each play two characters). I've been a big Penny Arcade fan for ages so the humor hits my sweet spot, and the legacy aspect of keeping the gameplay light and steadily adding a bit more complexity each round as you "earn" it was perfect for my wife who's a much more casual gamer.
I backed the 2nd season on kickstarter just recently and it looks like they're leaning even more into the story aspect of legacy gameplay so I'm hoping it still hits the right balance for us.
The Great on Hulu is shockingly entertaining. My wife started watching it because she enjoys that mildly anachronistic and gorgeous/well produced trend lately and it sucked me in way more than I'd have expected.
I just bought my second pair of running shoes from my local store. The store owner and only salesman is (or claims to be) an expert in biomechanics as it pertains to walking and running, and I have no doubt in his ability to identify the right pair of shoes for my needs. People are allegedly also traveling from all over the...
Unless it's a bargain basement brand and quality control is absolutely horrible I'd be shocked if there was much variation at all within the exact same model of shoe. If a particular style and year model of shoe works for you, any off the rack version of that shoe (barring major defects) is going to work for you.
If nothing else I'd expect whatever miniscule material differences there might be are going to get completely overriden by differences in wear from your specific running and terrain pretty quickly.
Hey there, I am curious what everyone is reading and how you are feeling with it. I started demon copperhead yesterday, made it about 70 pages in and decided to read the first book in the chthulu CaseBooks. It's a kinda retelling of Sherlock Holmes but with a Lovecraft quist....
That was the last book I finished, and it was solid. The "getting the gang back together" part was fun, and the latter half just picked up from there. Without getting too spoilery I think the last character from her past showing up, and the more fantastical shift from there on, really added a lot to the enjoyment factor.
I'm currently working on Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price, an indepth dive on Vikings covering history, archeology, mythology, and so on. It's decently well reviewed and at least seems really comprehensive but I have to admit I'm having trouble getting into it and I'm mostly just grinding out 10-20 page chunks at a time before I end up dropping it to do something else.
If you're enjoying this, I might recommend The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow. Guns, Germs, and Steel was one of the first books in that genre of "where do we come from" style books I (and a ton of people) read and loved, but it gets a fair bit of flack for skipping over stuff to support their theory.
Dawn of Everything is sort of the next step from that, it doesn't explicitly refute GGS outside of a time or two they were directly wrong so much as just be much more comprehensive and point out how insanely varied our history is and that there isn't really a one size fits all story. It's weirdly conversational, I've described it as sitting in on a lecture from a really ecentric professor, and I think any who loved how GGS opened their eyes to common threads in our history and what that might say about the world now.
I am about to finish Will Wight's Waybound, and it's just an adrenaline fueled blast of a conclusion to a series that I was not prepared to enjoy as much as I have....
From the Mother of Learning side, the main character is an extreme introvert (which is actually handled moderately well, and has a legitimate in story reason though it doesn't come up for awhile) and more than a bit misanthropic/arrogant. A big part of the appeal is seeing them deal with their issues and legitimately becoming a better person without it being rubbed in our faces or feeling forced.
I’ve been playing a number of solo games lately as my usual group seems to be doomed to never have aligned schedules these days. I’m currently in love with Arkham Horror LCG and the Wingspan Automata, but I also enjoy smaller games like Totem (solo mode) and One Deck Dungeon. What small-medium sized solo games do y’all...
I do end up loving Friday and it seems like it's totally under everyone's radar. It's not revelutionary or anything, but it's straight forward fun and for whatever reason I always end up tickled by how the gameplay and theme were integrated.
I went to a second-hand shop today to look at the books they have collected over the past couple of months. Often it is hit-or-miss in these shops. Most books there seem to come from people cleaning their parents' house when they have died. Because the fantasy genre has not been mainstream, these "inheritances" almost never have...
I love hunting for 2nd hand everything, but especially books, so the somewhat lower hit rate for quality stuff in most places never really bugged me. If you're doing it just because you happen to be where used books are and you like poking through things the hunt is it's own reward, and so on.
Besides the standard classics like dedicated used book stores and the nicer Goodwills and so on, the main place I have a lot of success with good finds is bigger donated book sales thrown by libraries. I got lucky that I grew up by one of the biggest in the US that had a huge sale twice a year I could regularly hit up, but most everywhere has at least a few and you can always check book sale finder (which looks like a refuge from 90s era geocities, but is actually good) to check out what's coming up in your area.
What are you Reading (September 2023) (i.imgur.com)
Aside from Project Hail Mary which I assume every /c/sciencefiction subscriber is going to read what have you been reading or plan to read?...
What It Takes to Convert a Multi-Million Dollar Office Into Housing (www.wsj.com)
A video article covering some of the complications that come from converting empty offices into usable apartments.
The Modern Farmhouse Is Today’s McMansion. (www.nytimes.com)
Fairly interesting overview of what’s become the “trendy” home decor style from things like HGTV and design magazines, as well a quick look at some other style trends we’ve gone through.
The Math Problem Stymieing Small Businesses in Rural America (www.wsj.com)
The article is about a kind of niche problem that I hadn’t ever considered before, appraisals for buildings in rural areas are either low because there are less people who might want them (especially for specialized new commerical construction) while building costs keep rising OR the price of land in touristy areas is so high...
Portugal's drug decriminalization faces growing opposition as downsides grow (www.washingtonpost.com)
Not at all to say the net balance on the pros/cons for decriminalization has tipped, especially since one of the main points the article mentions is that the funding that was supposed to social services and rehabilitation programs that went hand in hand with decriminalization has absolutely cratered over the last decade, but...
Gas Stoves Emit More of the Carcinogen Benzene Than Expected (www.scientificamerican.com)
Oregon lawmakers vote to allow self-serve gas statewide (www.rv-times.com)
Finally. It's ridiculous this took so long. If these people love pumping gas so much, then they can do it for free lol.
‘ELEMENTAL’ earns $11.8M in the film’s domestic opening day, the lowest in Pixar’s history (twitter.com)
What's your favourite story-based/heavy game?
I'm currently enjoying Jaws of the Lion and is eyeing Middara next.
What’s your favorite TV show you’re binging right now
I’m on a Seinfeld kick. It’s my show I just keep coming back to
Variance within running shoe models
I just bought my second pair of running shoes from my local store. The store owner and only salesman is (or claims to be) an expert in biomechanics as it pertains to walking and running, and I have no doubt in his ability to identify the right pair of shoes for my needs. People are allegedly also traveling from all over the...
OC What are you currently reading, and general thoughts so far?
Hey there, I am curious what everyone is reading and how you are feeling with it. I started demon copperhead yesterday, made it about 70 pages in and decided to read the first book in the chthulu CaseBooks. It's a kinda retelling of Sherlock Holmes but with a Lovecraft quist....
Reading suggestions
I am about to finish Will Wight's Waybound, and it's just an adrenaline fueled blast of a conclusion to a series that I was not prepared to enjoy as much as I have....
Favorite small-medium sized solo games?
I’ve been playing a number of solo games lately as my usual group seems to be doomed to never have aligned schedules these days. I’m currently in love with Arkham Horror LCG and the Wingspan Automata, but I also enjoy smaller games like Totem (solo mode) and One Deck Dungeon. What small-medium sized solo games do y’all...
What is your best resource for second-hand fantasy literature?
I went to a second-hand shop today to look at the books they have collected over the past couple of months. Often it is hit-or-miss in these shops. Most books there seem to come from people cleaning their parents' house when they have died. Because the fantasy genre has not been mainstream, these "inheritances" almost never have...