this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2025
81 points (100.0% liked)

Casual Conversation

1467 readers
66 users here now

Share a story, ask a question, or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. Maybe you'll make some friends in the process.


RULES

  1. Be respectful: no harassment, hate speech, bigotry, and/or trolling.
  2. Encourage conversation in your OP. This means including heavily implicative subject matter when you can and also engaging in your thread when possible.
  3. Avoid controversial topics (e.g. politics or societal debates).
  4. Stay calm: Don’t post angry or to vent or complain. We are a place where everyone can forget about their everyday or not so everyday worries for a moment. Venting, complaining, or posting from a place of anger or resentment doesn't fit the atmosphere we try to foster at all. Feel free to post those on !goodoffmychest@lemmy.world
  5. Keep it clean and SFW
  6. No solicitation such as ads, promotional content, spam, surveys etc.

Casual conversation communities:

Related discussion-focused communities

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 70 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I was banned from r/soapmaking because I refused to accept that buying soap that someone else made, melting it and adding glitter and perfume, and putting it into moulds was making soap.

I raise the pigs, render the lard, and turn the lard into soap using lye. I make soap. They do arts and crafts using soap.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My son just got a soapmaking kit. He had a great time adding dye and glitter to his "homemade" soaps. And that's great... for a seven-year-old.

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

Yup. I have no issue with people doing arts and crafts with soap, especially 7 year olds.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Seriously?! I had no idea people did that, assumed they were doing like me, lye and fat. Saw an idiot woman on YouTube post:

"NOT using lye on MY skin!"

Replied:

"It's no longer lye after the chemical reactions. And this is why we need better science education for small children. You would have failed my 4th-grade science class."

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Yes. Melt and pour soap uses glycerine soap that people buy in huge blocks at the craft store, like Michael's. They melt it, add colour, trinkets, glitter, and perfume, and pour it into moulds. Arts and crafts.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] scintilla@crust.piefed.social 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

As long as you're not saying you have to raise pigs to be a soap maker I agree with you.

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (9 children)

A soap maker makes soap. I make soap. If you don't make the soap you are doing arts and crafts with soap that someone else made. Both are fine and fun but you're not a soap maker if you don't make the soap.

[–] scintilla@crust.piefed.social 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I mean like store bought lard and such not pre-made soap. I know a lot of people that "make" soap and a few people who do actually make soap and they usually do it for allergen reasons because even the fragrance free products irritate their skin.

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

As long as you're buying oil or fat and lye or potash and making soap that's soap making. You're making soap. Most of our soaps are lard based but use other oils to improve the texture. Some, like our shaving soap, have no lard in them. I'm just taking about the people who buy big blocks of soap at the craft store, melt it and pour it, and call themselves soap makers.

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I'm not even mildly part of the hobby, and even I am of the firm opinion that "soapmaking" involves the actual making of soap.

Nobody would call me a cook if I ran to the closest restaurant, grabbed some dish, added some spice and herbs on the way back, and "Voilla, steak de Neidu!"

Also, soap has a melting point?

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 28 points 1 week ago (11 children)

Is a tab four spaces or two?

[–] mrcleanup@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A tab is not made of spaces, it goes to the next tab stop, which is as big as you set it to be.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This isn't your argument, neighbor.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] m_f@discuss.online 17 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Let's all compromise on three spaces

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 15 points 1 week ago

recordscratch.wav

[–] echindod@programming.dev 8 points 1 week ago

Ouch. This hurts. This hurts so much.

[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago

Can we make it π spaces? It's such a nice number.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Neither, it's an actual tab character

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SamuraiBeandog@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)
[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

Hi, it's your friendly nano user here to remind you that it's actually 8.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's your right to be wrong.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[–] Blaze@piefed.zip 26 points 1 week ago (6 children)

LEGO enthusiasts ( !lego@piefed.social ) are usually split on the "non-LEGO" compatible sets, especially since the basic LEGO patent went to the free domain. Some people think they're "fake", some other people think it's a way to still afford the hobby when the prices have skyrocketed

[–] TootSweet@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

I'm conflicted. I prided myself as a kid on having exclusively on-brand LEGOs and always considered Megablox and such inferior in quality, aesthetic, "cool factor", etc.

But on the other hand:

Meme template captioned "Man, fuck patents. All my homies hate patents."

Plus I'm into 3D printing and like the "stick it to the man" aspect of 3D printing that might reduce people's dependence on serving some company's profit motive for things like shoes (Nike, etc), replacement parts (like parts for my washing machine, improving repairability), figurines (D&D miniatures, for instance), and, indeed, toys like LEGO-compatible pieces.

Maybe I should go 3D print me some Bionicles.

[–] Wxfisch@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Honestly LEGO really hasn’t increased in price very much at all over the last ~20 years. They run about $0.10 a brick in the majority of cases (I think they are now closer to $0.11, but it’s close). I don’t really care for non genuine sets since the quality/tolerances I have found never to be good enough, but if folks like them then great; but to say prices have skyrocketed is just demonstrably false.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Mika@piefed.ca 25 points 1 week ago (2 children)

In Magic: the Gathering people are discussing "universe beyond" sets. Those are foreign IPs like Doctor Who, LoTR, Marvel, Fallout, Sonic etc injected into magic, which already had fucking good setting and lore.

It brings them lots of money, at least short term, while destroying the game we love.

[–] SamuraiBeandog@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

MtG has become the Funko Pops of gaming.

[–] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

How does it "destroy" the game? Aren't they effectively existing cards with tie-in art/names? Pardon the lack of familiarity, I only played Magic for about a year with a friend group half a decade or so ago.

Or are they introducing entirely new carda/mechanics now? Or saying that these are somehow involved with the canon setting?

[–] Mika@piefed.ca 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They aren't involved in canon setting, at least yet. But there was a period of "hat set" in-universe sets when quality of art and lore of main sets dropped. Although last few were very decent.

Yes, they aren't just reprints under new names now. They are full sets of some IP without in-universe cards to match them. They are cards that likely won't be reprinted ever (because due to IP they don't even own them, can't reprint on-whim). Which means those "The One Ring" and the likes are only gonna grow in price. Heck, even playable commons like "Loriel Revealed".

They also aren't owning rights for digital distribution on some of those IP even and in Magic Arena those cards are replaced with something else in-universe-ish which doesn't exist in paper.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SuperDuperKitten@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Mine is interest in retro gaming which oh boy, there's a lot:

  • CRT vs Line-doubler device like OSSC and RetroTINK
  • HDMI Mods/Adapters
  • Native hardware vs Emulation
  • Grading mint game and the price for it (I still see it as snake-oils)
  • If [Insert old game] hasn't aged well or is that person simply not good at it.

Bonus points if that person happens to be Gen-Z and comments selection removed about Gen-Z. I hate the weird elitism retro-gaming community have which as a Zoomer, it does put me off wanting to play older games if I be judge for being too stupid to not get it straight away.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Older millennial, grew up playing NES and after. Emulation is fine and allows everyone to play titles they otherwise might have missed. With you on the sbdke oil.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] TootSweet@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Mechanical keyboards have several (clicky/thocky/tactile/linear/etc switches, Cherry MX Browns, etc), but if I had to choose one, maybe ortholinear vs staggered.

A picture will probably illustrate it best:

A staggered keyboard and an ortholinear keyboard. The staggered keyboard has keys that don't line up with keys on the rows above and below but are instead "staggered" relative to the rows above and below. The ortholinear keyboard is laid out in a more perfect "grid" where every key lines up with the keys in the rows above and below it.

Ortholinear evangelists contend that the staggered layout was invented for mechanical typewriters exclusively to reduce the incidence of typebar collisions and is detrimental to optimal ergonomics. I, as someone who prefers staggered keyboards, just don't want to be ruined for the majority of keyboards out there. (If my muscle memory "learns" that "m" is "here" because I use an ortholinear keyboard at home, I'm worried it'll be awkward to use a standard keyboard on a laptop or whatever and I'll be fat-fingering keys all over the place.) I might switch sides someday. Who knows. But for now, I'll stick with staggered.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

Been on a tiny ortho KB for months now. Just now ketting the hana ow it. Kinsa.

Also, the delete key is above the backspace. I had no idea how either key worked because I've been working on reflex for 30 years.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] TheGiantKorean@lemmy.today 15 points 1 week ago (7 children)

One of my hobbies is the sport of weightlifting (the snatch and the clean & jerk). There is a rule called the Pressout Rule that keeps lifters from pressing the weight out overhead - basically you can't catch a weight overhead and then muscle it out to full extension. This rule is pretty unpopular with a lot of folks because the judges judging the lift may see your arm shake a bit and decide it was a pressout. I'm not a big fan of the rule.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (7 children)

In electric guitar loony land, tone woods

[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm over here in acoustic guitar land, where we argue over the same thing. And even here I think it makes much less of a difference than people think. For electrics? Seems like a pointless distinction.

[–] echindod@programming.dev 7 points 1 week ago

But if I didn't spend hours online talking about the importance of an real ebony fret board and the blood moon mahoganynbody only producing good sounds when it has the blood of the innocent infused on the fourth new moon of the seventh equinox, what would you suggest I do with my time? You don't actually expect me to play my guitar do you?!?!

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] SamuraiBeandog@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

A very common debate in basketball fandom is whether number of championships won is an important metric to judge how good a player is. Some of the greatest players of all time never won a championship (e.g. Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Steve Nash) and a lot of people automatically rate them below other top players who did win rings.

[–] ChaosSpectre@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 week ago (5 children)

After diving in and learning it this year, I fully believe learning Vim makes you a better developer and it should be commonly taught to developers. It has done far more for my dev skills than any single AI tool ever has, and I dont have to worry about it hallucinating.

Personally, I think Vim should be made into standard knowledge for anyone who consistently uses a keyboard for their work. A lot more software than I expected supports it, and it makes any form of text editting tremendously better.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

I'm an amateur gunsmith. How long you got to read stupid gun controversies? Check out the 9mm vs. .45ACP videos. The testing and talk never fucking ends. Colt .45 for me. :)

I got a take that never comes up. Single-shot/break-action rifles and shotguns are wildly effective. Crack it open, remove spent shell, feed a fresh one, snap it closed, aim, fire, repeat. Shotguns that eject the spent shell are the bomb and some people break that function on purpose!

No one argues that automatic weapons are effective, only good for giggles and suppressing fire in combat. You can't hold your aim point and just waste ammo. Single-shots are the opposite. You're forced to slow down and really make the shot. Once you get the hang of your gun, you get in a rhythm and can unload lead like hell. Got to where my 1950s 12-gauge kick shells over my shoulder!

If I had to hunt or defend myself, prosecute any sort of violence, and NOT have my AR-15, and NOT be half awake at 3AM, I think I'd rather have my single-shot rifles or shotguns. I'm certainly better at target practice with a single-shot.

Best part? <slight exaggeration> They're unbreakable, can't malfunction or jam, no magazine to fuck up. Got explosives in it? It will go bang.

[–] zlatiah@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

So in rhythm games, chart reuse and "piracy" is... a surprisingly big issue that is related to copyright. This warrants a bit more explanation

For example, the IP of Dance Dance Revolution/DDR is owned solely by Bemani and Konami; both are Japanese companies which are not known for being generous with copyright, mind you. The DDR series produces lots of original music which are owned by the IP holders, and just about every chart (the thing you actually play) created for each piece of music in the game is also technically copyright protected

Problem is, DDR got wayyy too popular so there are a lot of clones out there; in fact most arcades in the US would have a "DDR" cabinet when it is actually a clone. Usually something like Stepmania (which is FOSS btw). Would it be considered piracy if someone else uses the official chart even though they are not running one of the officially licensed DDR cabs?

I don't know the details as to how it ended up like this, but it seems like a lot of games strictly ban such "piracy", whereas DDR is a bit of an outlier. Case in point, Beatmania series (one of the oldest rhythm game series) treats such acts as piracy, and the simulation community is onboard with this so all of the ripped official charts would be referred to as "illegal BMS"... but this is compensated by having a massive collection of community charts that have no affiliation with the IP holders of Beatmania whatsoever. DDR... seems to allow all of their charts to be released as simfiles, case in point.

There's also the funny case for Sound Voltex (SDVX). This game was also created by Konami, with lots of official songs/charts and a dedicated simulation community. Problem is that SDVX released a PC version of the game (don't buy their official controllers they are ass), and all of the official charts were reuploaded and became available to anyone playing the simulators. These charts are in a very weird legal limbo as far as I'm aware... but everyone knows that simulator users play the official charts

[–] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] mrcleanup@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Blaze@piefed.zip 9 points 1 week ago

I follow football ( !football@sopuli.xyz )

Every year the best player wins the "Ballon d'Or", based on votes from journalists from all over the world.

Criteria tend to change from year to year, and you usually see a lot of fans pushing for their candidate a few months before the award. Ask any football fan and they can always tell you which Ballon d'Or they think got "robbed", usually using their own metrics to justify that choice.

It always seemed a bit weird to me how important the whole thing is when that game is mostly collective.

[–] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

In Battletech (tabletop miniatures game, huge fiction universe, video games):

  • Were The Clans a good faction addition or a stupid writing choice? Follow up: are the last twenty years of timeline advancements "valid" even if you don't like them?
  • Does the Dasher have any utility on the table?
  • Is the play test change to side-facing attacks a good abstraction or an unacceptable loss of crunch?
  • Is it dishonorable to bring a suitcase of Savannah Master hovercraft to a BV game?
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Do Balrogs have wings according to JRR Tolkein?

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] justdaveisfine@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago

This one is starting to sway one direction more than the other but: Using AI for indie game development. (For music, voice work, art, code, writing, gameplay, etc)

You've probably seen many arguments for and against AI at this point so I won't harp on that too much. It is interesting/frustrating to see where some devs focuses are, and why this has contributed to an insane amount of AI art in games lately.

[–] burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 week ago

Whether a ball hitting the line should be in or out. You'd think it would be simple, like tennis, but nooooo. Pickleball authorities want to have every line be 'in' except for the kitchen line... but hitting/touching the line does mean it's in, as in 'in the kitchen,' which means you're out.

Then there was the whole rule change about 'let' serves, and the pros straight up ignoring the rules and playing the old way.

:/ ugh. Playing a relatively recent sport can be frustrating, because they're still trying to change rules to make the game better, compared to older sports where things have been set in stone.

[–] TheWeirdestCunt@lemmy.today 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Who's the GOAT of F1, some say Schumacher, some say Verstappen but the real debate is if it's Latifi or Maldonado

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Beyond all reason is an RTS and team matches are very popular the most popular being 8v8. Now there is a mechanic where you can share resources(energy/metal/buildpower) to a teammate anywhere on the map instantly for no cost. You can also share units. This leads to a lot of co op strategies where two or more players pool resources to build a higher tech lab faster and then use those higher tech units to run the tier 1 units over. This is fun to watch in pro play but in casual and everyday ranked play its a problem because you are forced to co op yourself or die. You cant scout the co op fast enough to react so you have to co op/share/boost a player or risk them dying to a co op rush.

There is has been a huge debate raging in the discord thats 50k+ messages long on if the mechanic is to powerful and something should be done. Slowly i think all the higher OS players have come to agree that its way to broken but there are still a lot of players saying its completely fine and its a skill issue if you lose to it.

load more comments
view more: next ›