Something related to add that a lot of people don’t realize is that Windows has a way to add ASCII emoji by pressing Win + .

It’s a pretty comprehensive list too.

There was a weekend in 2006 where I had absolutely nothing to do despite a full schedule for months on either side. I stayed in my apartment and played video games and just existed happily without being molested for three whole days.

I have had children and received promotions and all of that, but all of those experiences are laced with a bit of anxiety. That weekend though was just pure, light joy for three days and it is something I revisit mentally, constantly. Make sure to enjoy those little times too.

As an counter example as something that you may not think of as therapeutically relevant, there are a whole class of Platinum based anti-cancer drugs.

Well I use mine every night and sleep fine. I could also be a robot as you suggest too.

Check out bone conduction headphones.

The audio quality is not the best but it more than enough for podcasts or youtube content. They are much more comfortable for me as long as the volume is relatively low or else the vibration starts to become annoying. I would recommend trying them out if you can from a friend or order some expecting to return them because they aren’t for everyone but if you are like me you won’t want to use anything else.

One of the chillest, good vibe albums I have ever listen to blind was Masayoshi Takanaka’s - All of me.

The youtube comment that was at the top of the video that I listened to years ago summed up the experience nicely, "No one searches for this album, it finds you when you need it.

I wouldn’t be surprised!

Years ago I worked for a healthcare IT company that had its developers, IT administrators, and help desk all reporting to the CTO. The CTO was an MD with a computer science degree from a prestigious university.

I was in a different department entirely but I was invited to a presentation he was giving and came to the conference room a bit early. I walked in to him in a full panic trying to connect his laptop to the projector. I plugged in the HMDI and hit Win + P and he reacted like I had just defused a bomb. Really made it hard to take seriously his five year strategic plan for all of our IT projects.

A year later he took extended leave to travel internationally and came back to work with a full perm and added the word “tree” to his last name. He lasted about 6 more weeks before he announced he was leaving. He is now the CIO of a large university.

Any of the 4x/grand strategy type games (e.g., Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, Civilization). I don’t really enjoy the menu management of some of those games and the density of information and mechanics is anxiety inducing. However the emergent narrative those games provide really interests me so watching someone else play is the best way to access what I enjoy about those games.

That’s what always happened since no one had the courage to just throw it away.

Oh yeah, it wouldn’t fit the prompt but it’s a banger of a song is all.

Mute City is amazing but Big Blue is just so good.

I just replayed ALttP again using the Randomizer mod where it changes the location of all the items while making sure the game can be completed. The score of that game is incredible.

A few from my grandfather and father which aren’t unique to them but aren’t universal:

1. “red as a smacked ass” or just “smacked ass” - referring to someone who is embarrassed so their face is flushed or generally just a fool
2. “Born on Wednesday looking both ways for the weekend” - someone with a lazy eye
3. “Scissor grinder” - aggravating person, or someone who inserts themselves into other’s business. Ostensibly referring to a person who travels offering sharpening services because they come by unannounced and make a lot of noise in the street.

Related, but not a saying, we had a family tradition at Easter where my grandparents/parents would put all the egg dyes together and dye a final egg a murky brown. That egg was given to the kid with the worst behavior over the last year. It was called the “pissmuckle” egg. There was no discussion after you got it either or any punishment, it was just a censure.

The two songs that I remember being awestruck by were:

1. Gerudo Valley from Ocarina of Time on the N64, and
2. Cosmo Canyon from FF7 on the PS1

I recently found out about the Zelda: Link to the Past randomizer community. Essentially there is a method to modify the original game to randomize the item locations and other aspects of the game while ensuring the game can be completed. Each game has a seed so you can look it up if you get to stuck. I played through it once and it was a really interesting challenge since I didn’t get the bow until 60% of the way through the game.

On my 8th birthday my dad took a couple friends and I out to dinner and we stopped to buy a video game. My friends and I were arguing about what to get and my dad came by a couple times to get us to hurry up. Finally he said we had to make a decision and ushered us up to the cashier.

As soon as the cashier started to talk a truck off the highway that was above the store crashed through the side wall of the shop with enough speed to hit through every aisle and collapse all the shelving to the back as well as ripping down the ceiling. The guy was covered in blood and slumped over the wheel. No one was hurt in the store luckily, but we all would have been killed if we argued any longer in that aisle. My dad just got us into the car and we drove home. Afterward my dad would just downplay it whenever I would bring it up.

hear ye

They need to upgrade their dead drop locations then. 🤣

Looking for things on the ground or the side of the road. Some notable items I have found:

1. Unmarked envelope with ~$400 in it.
2. Change purse filled with random international coins
3. Pair of knipex channel lock pliers that have dog bite marks on the handles
4. Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket i727
5. Ticket for a festival which I then attended
6. Many sunglasses
7. Many cool rocks and sticks

I take the time to find the original owner whenever I find something but it’s pretty rare. These are only the things that I have kept because the original owner couldn’t be found.