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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: August 8th, 2023

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  • I’m in a hybrid position with the office pretty close to where I live and I’ll just say it: slacking off is much more comfortable in the office than at home.

    If it’s a really slow day I don’t have the same thoughts that I need to keep my work phone with me, or make sure I’m “available” in teams every hour or so (running Linux with Teams in a browser means I’m away or offline most of the time when actively using my PC). Being in the office gets you the “looks busy” effect almost for free, and it reinforces the fact that not being instantly available is not a bad sign for productivity.

    My office environment is fortunately pretty decent though, so going in isn’t a nightmare compared to home other than the whole thing where I have to get moving and make myself presentable for venturing into public.



  • Zink@programming.devtoScience Memes@mander.xyzOxygen
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    11 days ago

    Powerful oxidizers are dangerous stuff!

    One I’ve learned about recently (and used) is potassium permanganate. One of its uses is for improving water quality in fish ponds. It oxidizes basically all organic matter. It can simultaneously knock out algae, bacteria, parasites, hormones, and other excess organic waste. And the pathogens it kills can’t build up resistance to it like they would an antibiotic or poison, so it can be used preventively without creating stronger bugs. You can’t really build resistance to BURNING outside video games.

    But that also means that if you add too much, you can just as easily sterilize all life in a body of water, including fish and anything else you want to keep.

    AND it means you need to be careful when handling it. If you burn your eyes or your lungs, it makes them stop working!







  • As an American, this line short circuited my brain:

    Police there still carry guns on the regular

    I live in a quiet but growing suburban town that’s closer to rural areas than the nearest city. When I walk my kid to elementary school (how European of us, lol) the police officer working as a crossing guard for the kids still has their gun, taser, bulletproof vest, and all their other gear on.

    And it’s not a school-specific thing. You just never see cops without their weapons here. Armed and armored is just part of the uniform, essentially.




  • This is one thing I love about having old but reliable cars. Our bigger family car that my wife drives is banged up in so many ways but I can just ignore it. As long as the mirrors work I don’t have to worry about how many scratches are on the housing, and as long as the tires hold air it’s easier to ignore the wheels that look like somebody was practicing their angle grinder technique.

    And then with my little commuter car, even though I like to park far away and I don’t drive into shit, I still don’t have to worry about other people or keeping it looking clean, etc.

    In general I find it liberating and good for the ol’ mental health to not obsess over superficial qualities of material possessions. So if I can make it easier to do that, it’s a win.