In the Lord of the Rings fandom there’s a persistent debate whether balrogs, or Durin’s Bane specifically, have wings. The text in Fellowship is ambiguous whether what it is describing are literal wings or something else wing-like.
I’m a planetary scientist so technically this is a field, you can also be into meteorites as a hobby.
Chondrule formation. These are spherical balls of formerly molten rock that solidified and clumped together to form chondrites, some of the oldest rocks in the Solar System that predate planet formation. Essentially these are nebular dust grains that formed when the Solar System was still an accretionary disk.
Except, do chondrules predate planet formation? What causes them to melt while they’re floating around? How do they overcome the kinetic barriers to agglomeration? Are the terrestrial planets, whose bulk composition is thought to be chondritic, actually composed of chondrites?
If you want to see one of the most simultaneously esoteric and bitter scientific debates, attend a chondrule formation session at a meteorite or planetary science conference. MetSoc is a great one in August, and officially I go to present my work but actually I just love the fireworks. As an achondrite person, I don’t touch this topic with a ten foot pole, but I love to watch when someone introduces a new wacky idea (space lightning? Shine from a molten Io? Extrasolar?) and you see 15 eminent greybeards rush the mic to yell their objections.
Some would argue it misses the topic, but I’ll offer the Unix text editor wars. Vi vs. Emacs is pretty much the epitome of a pointless religious war in people’s favourite activity, though for some that’s obviously their job.
Why do I mention it? Because most would just look at it and say: obviously none of the above, what are you even talking about? But those in the know have been heatedly debating the topic since at least the 80s… (I’m team vi for what it’s worth)
In the world of Game Collecting, the guy with potentially the largest single collection on the planet is getting rid of his collection.
The ideal plan was for it to all go to a singular museum, which was in the works and then unfortunately fell through. Problem is the next two backups also fell through. So plan D involves the collection being split up and some of it going to the Embrace Group, and some into private collections, which was seemingly both never the plan. People who donated items, thinking that they would eventually be publicly displayed, are rightfully upset. And then the rest of his fans, such as myself, are somewhat bewildered that this is how it will end after decades of amassing a collection, and then years of saying it’ll all be going to a museum.
-Guitar picks/strings
-Warhammer editions (Or competitive vs narrative play)
-using linux and the many reasons why
Here’s another one: Is there a “blind community?” This may sound odd since the very fact the question exists implies there is, since blind people have to get together and discuss it. So in some ways yes of course there is, but I’m inclined to say no, at least not in the sense that a lot of people define “community”.
Blindness does not respect class, creed, or culture, so you have blind people from all over the map ideologically speaking who all approach their blindness in different ways. That’s not getting into the difference between low- vs no-vision, or born blind vs blinded later in life, or blind people who are independent vs those that lack access to proper training. I’ve run into blind people who don’t like hanging out with other blind people IRL because the spectrum ranges from “can’t even pick yourself up when you trip without help” to “flies around the country alone with no problem.”
I think the question exists because we look at deaf people who unambiguously have cultures and languages unique to them when we don’t really have that.
systemd is fine for some
Doctor Who has a bunch of them!
One of the big recent ones was the Timeless Child plotline. For people unfamiliar with the show, the basic premise is that the main character, the Doctor, is an alien who’s species can regenerate themselves when they’re about to die which saves them but they become a physically different person. This was invented back in the 60s so they could change out the lead actor, William Hartnell, when he got too old to continue in the role and it’s become a core part of the show. We’re now on about the 15-16th Doctor, although that number is a bit contentious too for reasons I won’t go into here because that’s a whole other thing.
A few years back there was a plotline where it was revealed that the Doctor isn’t just a regular alien, they’re something called the Timeless Child that just appeared in our universe from somewhere unknown, and was the one that gave their whole species the ability to regenerate themselves. This was widely hated, as it not only changed the Doctor from a sort of wandering hobo into a Super Special Chosen One, but it also directly showed that William Hartnell wasn’t the first Doctor, there had been probably dozens of other ones before him that had just never been mentioned until now.
The internal debates that I’ve seen usually aren’t people debating whether this was a good idea or not, they’re mostly about the best way to retcon it away and never speak of it again lol.
Cooking:
Aioli is made with oil and no egg. If it includes egg, it is a mayonnaise.
Many people just call everything “aioli” these days, even if it’s technically a mayonnaise.
In my experience, people will put garlic in mayo and call it aioli.
It is absolutely an aioli. You just have to de-emulsify it, separate out the egg, and then emulsify the non-mayonnaise ingredients. It’s not like it’s chemistry or entropy or whatever.
Oh cool, did not know this thanks.
Now I can properly judge hipsters who call their overpriced mayo aioli lol
I don’t think that’s an internal debate, I think everyone who understands about the topic knows the difference between aioli and garlic mayo. It’s people from outside that use the wrong term, so not really an internal debate.
That’s not been my experience. I think a lot of people feel like it’s lesser to call their dip a mayonnaise, so they call it an aioli. Especially at restaurants.
That’s fucked up, man. Mayo can be fancy af. This is mayo erasure.
I’m pretty sure you’re being sarcastic, but I’d passionately back this stance. Emulsions are a goddamn art, and need to be respected for their insane range and joy.
Sure, but that’s just the restaurant trying to sound fancier than they are, they know it’s not aioli. It’s like when they say they have wasabi but bring you a paste, there’s no debate that wasabi is a root but that most restaurants will serve you a green paste that has 0% wasabi in it. Which is why places that serve real wasabi or aioli usually have it listed as “real wasabi” or “real aioli”, both to clarify they’re using the correct term and not the popular one and to warn people as both aioli and wasabi taste different from the mass produced garlic mayo and mustard paste restaurants usually serve.
How does one get the emulsion started without egg or mustard ?
Garlic is an emulsifier, less potent than egg, but still an emulsifier. Which means true aioli is EXTREMELY garlicky (as it is almost 50% garlic), it loses some potency over time like most garlic things, but freshly made aioli is something you don’t put a lot of (and may be part of the reason most restaurants don’t serve it)
I think I use about 1:3 ratio of garlic to oil. It is quite garlicky.
Emulsion between oil and garlic.
Yep, this.
Anyone who hasn’t should give it a try. Takes a bit of mixing to get it emulsified (you could probably do it in a food processor), but aoili is so delicious and underappreciated, at least here in the US. Add some salt and a touch of lemon. Dip some roasted veggies in there. Yum.
“Should lizard people women have breasts?”
D&D vs PF2 really brings out the uhh, loudest of each community
Star Trek (Voyager): Was it murder to split Tuvix back into Tuvok and Neelix?
I’ve got a long and complex possible solution to offer regarding this ethical clusterfuck, and I’m willing to elaborate if someone’s interested to hear it.
Edit (possible solution): Voyager’s database should include the Enterprise D’s information regarding Riker’s duplication incident. While Voyager’s crew already found a way to separate Tuvix, they could’ve searched for a possibility to repeat that process and then split back the copy Tuvix a few milliseconds into the original Tuvok and Neelix before said copy became self-aware.
That’s what makes it a good story though - an ethical dilemma with no clear “right” answer.
So I was under the assumption that every time they beamed someone up or down they murdered them and an exact copy appeared elsewhere.
They should have just kept replicating Tuvix with the transporter and using him as fuel.
The longest and most complex solutions are usually right (yes, please share).
The trench from my bed to my toilet is three meters but I can whizz without getting up anymore
The Riker split depended on a plant on that one particular planet. Maybe it cannot be replicated.
Fully embracing that technology would have loads of chaotic outcomes…maybe they forbade it or something? Ripe for abuse…the ability to make infinite free clones or people…
Boimler would like a word
They used a transporter, so yes.
Every use of a transporter where someone is disassembled is murder, or possibly suicide.
It’s clonicide!
Alternatively we’re just data (as muteable as a save file) so neither of them died at any point as Tuvix was a valid continuation of both their continuities, similary when Tuvix was split again Tuvok and Nelix also constituted valid continuations of Tuvix’s continuity.
Yes, they could have just printed out a new copy of Tuvok and Neelix, and left Tuvix alone. The restriction that you can’t just make copies never made sense. Are there souls in Star Trek? Is the soul the thing that is actually being “transported” into a new body substrate?
Im curious, please share
Two characters got merged into one completely new character the had traits of both, but was their own person. Decision was made to forcibly (against the new character’s wishes) undo the accident and restore the two people. In so doing the new character no longer existed.
deleted by creator
Yes ive seen Voyager lol, I meant their solution
Thanks for trying tho
Lol should have remembered this was Lemmy.
Sir this is a Wendy’s.
No, this is Patrick
I’ll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large diet coke (I’m watching my figure).
I’ll meet you out behind the dumpster in three minutes, sir.
Too bad, new organism, we want our selves back- what? Deal w/i
they did it again LTD. anyways, janeway practically groomed 7 of 9, not in a sexual way but trying to mold her into a daughter she never had.
Yes and she was right to do it. Except maybe she should have made a backup so she could have done it again
Female Space Marines. I’m gonna leave before this thread explodes.
I collect coins, and there’s always debates about what a coin is.
For those who don’t know, a coin is usually defined as an object with legal tender status somewhere; as opposed to a token that has a face value but is issued by a non-state actor; and a medal, which is anything that looks like a coin but doesn’t have any face value.
Now, aside from the expected debate over what is and isn’t a state, there’s also the issue of NIFC (not intended for circulation) coins. Many mints sell coins that are legal tender, but are never put into circulation, some people (often those that could be characterised as “old school”) take the position that as these aren’t intended to be used as legal tender, they aren’t really coins.
It doesn’t help that there are tiny island nations like Niue and Samoa that will basically let companies make anything legal tender if they pay them. This leads to the rather silly situation where a batarang, and a literal statue of hogwarts, are technically “coins”. (I’ve been told this is done as a import tariff dodge as the USA doesn’t charge import taxes on coins)
Ladies and gentlemen, a coin:
Imagine being a Samoan shopkeeper and some tourist showing up and trying to pay with a friggin statue of Hogwarts.
It’s 5ozt of pure silver, so I wouldn’t say no…
id accept it as payment, record a video of myself melting it down and making it into a small blahaj figurine, and make the video public to spite and annoy jk rowling and the harry potter fanbase
What the fuck is wrong with Samoa? Like, I can speculate but my speculations are unkind. I don’t want to go there.
It has the same size population as Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Weird stuff happens on islands.
Weird stuff happens on islands.
my dude, that’s a thought stopping phrase. weird shit happens everywhere. there’s this toilet in boston
Ok, it’s probably your racist thing then. Happy?
racist thing?
I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say “racist,” but I can see how someone might think you sound xenophobic. If I didn’t enjoy interacting with your posts so often, I could see how someone would see your tone as trying to “other” and shame an entire culture. But I know that’s usually not where you’re coming from.
What were the “unkind speculations” you wanted to hint at but not articulate?
you’re doing the antisemite thing again starik.
Are tabs worth two spaces or four?
That’s the beauty of tabs, it can be whatever you want.
But the correct answer is 4
I’m a spaces guy, but agree on the 4. A coder told me decades ago that 4 is better than 2 because if your code starts wrapping due to too many indents you should be refactoring it into functions anyway.
Spaces, in 2026? Why?
In part, because it forces 2-space tab users to confront the indentation issue above
Also there are no drawbacks… I still hit the tab key to indent (and shift tab to dedent). My editor does the rest.
The drawback to spaces is that people with vision issues or dyslexia lose the ability to make the code more readable in their IDE by adjusting tab size.
I can’t speak to dyslexia (but in would guess that 4 spaces is easier than 2?).
At my last job we had a default linter policy of 4 spaces across all languages (python, JS, rust, mostly). We also had a blind coder. He never mentioned it. I’d guess screen readers are capable of dealing with it these days?
You can do the same thing with a linter rule, without forcing everyone to see the code in your preferred way.
Also there are no drawbacks
That’s just not true.
Enlighten me?
You might want to read this: https://www.reddit.com/r/javascript/comments/c8drjo/nobody_talks_about_the_real_reason_to_use_tabs/
(There are more downsides of spaces, but I do not care to list everything. It should be obvious that “there are no drawbacks” is a far too general statement. :P)
Tabs are one space *quickly runs away*
I use a single space to indent when writing Python in a SecureCRT command window that gets sent to an interactive Python shell on the server.
Tabs are one space *quickly runs away*
Run all you want, but we will find you!!! 😉
4 for code 2 for yaml
I might have the solution: Elastic Tabs. They di what tabs were always meant to do from the start, whilst also fixing the shortcomings that spaces are currently used to fill.
Wtf is this witchcraft and how can I use it in VS Code?
I’m not on my PC right now but I think this is the plugin I use
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=isral.elastic-tabstops-mono
You are my spirit animal! ❤️
❤️✌️
When you display a TSV file using elastic tabs, they finally display nicely.
:set tabwidth=4I’ve heard of 8, 4, and even 3 which is pretty crazy… how could it possibly be 2!?
2 spaces is pretty common in JavaScript… And I think I remember it being pretty standard in HTML way back when. Screens used to be smaller, with low resolution. 4 spaces was a luxury.
Isn’t 2 spaces the standard in Ruby? I don’t use it, but I’ve heard such things.
Two spaces sure, but that’s for people who don’t use tabs.
Yes, I mean tab stops set to two spaces.
This is my experience as well. These days, fewer than 4 spaces is downright unreadable to my aging eyes.
3 is just downright evil.
3 is a tab width compromise. It is wider than 2 but not as wide as 4. No one is happy but not as unhappy as they would be at their less preferred extreme.
Enlightened centrism at its finest.
However many I feel like that day. Sometimes depends on the language and use case - if it tends to be deeply indented, I’d gravitate towards 2.
If using actual tabs, you can change how they appear just for yourself without touching the actual code; the same can’t be said about spaces.
I was trying to stay out of the fray but this one I feel I have to respond to:
tabs, you can change how they appear just for yourself without touching the actual code; the same can’t be said about spaces.
This is why I use spaces. A space is a space everywhere, a tab depends too strongly on the editor. I’ve had too many times where I had to edit on a different machine and it transmogrified my tabs into a different non-character entity in a way that didn’t reveal itself until later.
I can kind of see your point if you’re speaking from a devops/sysadmin’s point of view (i.e. something that would require you to use default editors on the go on systems that you don’t necessarily have control over).
Other than that, a tab’s principal purpose is indentation. One tab is one level of indentation regardless of how it appears. If a tab gets transformed into something else, it sounds like a text encoding problem and indentation would then be just one of (and possibly the smallest of) several possible issues.
I’m speaking from a web dev’s point of view - I’m assuming that I’ll always have my own configured editor on hand and I’ll be able to tell it that one tab is N spaces, sometimes even differently for different file types in the same project. Worst that could happen is that I don’t have a specific configuration and the editor just falls back to the default until I set otherwise. Since I’m working in a team, using spaces for a source controlled project would mean that everyone has to use the same. Having tabs means that everyone can configure it for themselves (assuming editor configs don’t go in the repo).
Three.
Live a little and do a mix of both
This way people from both sides of the argument can hate you. Win-win!
That depends; are oranges worth 9 feathers or 12?
Four, but I’m a spaces fella.
Lots of debates about the internal arrangement of the original series Enterprise…
- Bridge: forward facing or offset?
- Engineering: primary or secondary hull?
- Shuttlebay: short or extending under the nacelle pylons?
- How big is this ship, anyway??
I watched a video on this recently which was able to demonstrate that Engineering was shown in different locations in TOS. So the answer is, “Don’t worry about it.”
In fact, between this and the fact that the Engineering room set changed significantly between seasons 1 and 2, I’ve grown pretty partial to the idea that there are at least two and likely more rooms of a similar layout throughout the ship. Everybody wins.
How big is this ship, anyway??
This was a particularly goofy handwave in the Lost in Space show as well. :D
“Exactly as big as it needs to be” --Dr. Who fans on the TARDIS, probably
