Selyle

I believe Apple Music is solid, and if I’m not mistaken, pays artists the most. I was super considering it when I was looking for alternatives!

Exaaaactly! It could be a super cool feature if they gave users a way to add and adjust weights to songs- higher ones played more often and lower less, or if they let songs be hibernated - they stay in a playlist but won’t play until woken up.

When I moved over a few years ago, there were a few different services that could migrate playlists. I did remember some having a cap that you had to pay to increase, but I believe I eventually found one that let me move them all for free.

One of the reasons I quit Spotify was that their shuffle seemed oddly weighted. It would try to detect songs that it thought I wanted to listen to and always prioritize those in the shuffle. Turning off its smart shuffle didn’t seem to help either 🤷‍♀️ I do occasionally find artists with the same name grouped together, but this is something I’ve seen them addressing in their patch notes. They are really on top of reported issues.

It’s been super solid for me! They are constantly improving categorization, and they are always on top of reported issues. I absolutely love that they provide patch notes with every update!

Just a reminder that Tidal is amazing, has higher quality audio, a real shuffle, daily playlists, doesn’t shove podcasts in your face, pays artists more, and provides ways to import your playlists over 🩷 I also listen to some pretty obscure music and haven’t had issues not finding songs.

I actually still own the TV and researched the issue off and on for years. It’s just a design flaw and why they were offered during that Black Friday sale. I’ve gone through every menu and upgraded the fw; it’s just the way it is 🤷‍♀️

For the most random reason, Borderline Forever. For the longest time, I only watched YouTube on my TV- it was one of my end of night routines, and I had a few channels that I always kept up to date with. Now, I have to note that the TV I owned, for many years, was a super cheap 50" TV I bought from Walmart during Black Friday . It wasn’t great, but it was the first TV I bought myself when I started living on my own. One of the quirks of that TV was that the bezel actually extended over the screen and covered some of it. It wasn’t ever really an issue, but every now and again, I’d be aware of it. So, you can imagine my absolute surprise to learn that the blue border which was on all his thumbnails was actually part of his videos as well- a whole episode to highlight something I had been completely unaware of for hundreds of episodes. I honestly don’t remember much of the episode, but it was a big reason I ended up buying a new TV 🤭

I know you’ve said that you’ve asked her, and she’s stated she’s fine, but I think it matters how you ask. Sit down with her, mention the behaviors you’ve observed, explain how these things make you feel (I assume you’re worried about a friend), and just let her know you’re there for her if she ever wants to talk. Try not to make it too much about yourself, but be honest with your emotions… and try not to offer fixes for anything unless she asks. Myself and a lot of other women aren’t always open with men, even friends, because it can be exhausting dealing with their problem solver personalities; we normally know how to fix things already, but doesn’t mean they don’t weigh on our minds.

Definitely make sure to listen to the game’s music if you play! Such an amazing soundtrack!!

This game and Roboquest are two of my favorite roguelikes! They both have a different feel when using the weapons, but both are incredibly satisfying! The progression and unlocks feel rewarding, the coop is fun (only played them with friends, so idk how online‐strangers coop is), and I enjoy how the difficulty scales. Love the weapon, perk, and build variety!!

Soo it’s nowhere near the same- but in FFXIV I once spent weeks after an expansion crafting/gathering to make money to buy a large housing plot. By the end of it I had around ~600million (an absurd amount). Unfortunately my luck just wasn’t here and I lost every lottery I entered. Now- I probably have like 5 million. Where did it all go? To other players. I’d just buy people things. Someone in chat said they really wanted this or that- I’d buy it. People wanted a small/medium plot and didn’t have the money? I’d give them the gil. I found literally no reason to have so much gil just for the sake of having it, and I love seeing people get excited. I’d put together little welcome packages with expensive mounts, minions, clothes, etc and gift them to new players. I kind of started doing this in real life to, just to a lesser degree as a stranger handing you a gift can be a bit weird. I’d like to imagine, with infinite wealth, I’d do the same thing to a larger scale- really find ways to improve and bring joy to the lives of others. I’d obviously spoil myself with things, but I imagine I’d spend most of it on other people.

Thank you for sharing this! I was a software engineer for over 10 years and was let go with most of my department in June. I’ve been coasting on SUB payments, enjoying the temporary freedom, and learning sooo much about myself. I’ve been applying to similar jobs, but the longer I’ve been away from that world, the less I want to go back to it. So much of me wants to run to a job I always wanted growing up - a barista, and restart my photography business which I had to drop as it was too much to balance with a full-time job. I’ve been mentally stuck the last few months trying to figure out what I want to do… it’s nice to read something from someone in a slightly similar situation who is also considering a completely different path. I wish you the best of luck on your new journey, and I hope you find happiness in whatever work you decide on!

Recently…they’ve kind of just adopted me. I’m incredibly shy, but I had been going to a little local coffee shop (just to get out of the house) and always tried to be kind and engage with the people working there when they would talk with me. I had a few really emotional weeks, and one of the owners picked up on it. She handed me a note with her number, and let me know I could always talk with her. She ended up inviting me to a little Halloween pumpkin painting night with some of her friends, and I connected with them super well! Now they invite me out to little activities, food, movie nights, etc.

That’s kind of how I’ve meant most of the friends I’ve had- be kind, be interested, and be present! People get more comfortable the more they see you around, so even if you’re a little shy or awkward, someone might extend a hand and bring you into their circle.

I think these types of games would be a great place to start; maybe even something like Inscryption since it shows how deep games can be even when they appear to start off fairly simple.

It stimulates my brain, and I enjoy the randomness of it all. It’s like how in nature things can be perfectly imperfect - random and still beautiful - unintentional and still emotion-inducing. Sure, I see the ethical issues with how an AI is trained and how capitalism cares more about profit than people leading to job loss or exploitation; however, those are separate issues in my mind, and I can still find joy in the random output of an AI. I could easily tunnel on the bad parts of AI and what’s happening as the world devours a new technology, but I still see benefits it can bring in the medical research and engineering fields.

You’ll find that in queer culture, there’s not just top/bottom but a wide spectrum to define or describe preferences; I’m sure this all also applies to the BDSM world as well. There’s a variety of tops and bottoms and preferences like Bambi lesbians who don’t want sexual dynamics beyond cuddling and kissing.

I still really enjoy Phasmophobia and all the games which came out after that have similar mechanics/gameplay. The Dark Pictures games are all really great experiences. There’s also indie games like Little Nightmares and Dredge! Alan Wake, Outlast, Still Wakes the Deep… Honestly there’s been so many amazing ones which have come out. For days/nights where you want a lighter experience, the Observation Duty type games can be fun!

Unfortunately this is some of the best advice. I think different people are more susceptible to existential anxiety - or moreso anxiety over things that will never be able to change or control. Some people can channel that emotion into advocacy, volunteer work, etc while others mentally drown in thought loops. As rude as it sounds, sometimes it really is a ‘touch grass’ type of thing. You HAVE to watch out for your own mental health and oftentimes that means disconnecting from triggers and focusing on your own life and interests. Play a game, watch something, read a book, go to the zoo, meet up with friends - live in the moment and outside your head. I also recommend using the internet purposefully and not just to kill time - use social media for discovery and research of specific topics and not for just general consumption.

Rituals and setting myself up to enjoy the morning- super yummy overnight oats, skincare routine, pour over coffee or a visit to my favorite coffee shop, watching my favorite GTA RP streamer… After all that, my brain has released the entirety of its dopamine for the day, and I crawl back into bed until lunch/dinner 🥹

Just a friend Discord server and a private IG account I use exclusively to follow a few fashion subcultures I like which don’t have a presence in the US; best way to get inspiration and find out when there’re new releases… definitely have fallen victim to targeted ads, but that’s how I want my ads- actually relevant.