cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/5287345

I’m getting a hour-glass.

Much better than a regular timer when you’re doing the “Pomodoro” method and have to get something done. But I also have a nice lava-lamp, which is great when you’re listening to music. And a record-player for vinyl CDs. And fidget toys for my ADHD and Autism (to stim while I’m doing something).

I’ll be honest: I need eitiher:

Portability

Analog

If I can’t carry it or if it’s not mechanical, the i don’t care.

  • Tiocfaidhcaisarla [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    3 months ago

    Reading this thread made me realize that I get to engage with this as a barista. I flip switches, press buttons, roll dials; I can get myself burned on heated metal or steam. I touch doodads on a gizmo to make a product, I get to operate it like a mechanist of yore. Not my ideal job but there is something to proper machinery

  • LocalOaf [they/them, ze/hir]@hexbear.net
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    3 months ago

    vinyl CDs

    They’re called records dagnabbit yells-at-cloud

    There is something really gratifying about a record player though, the spinning is kind of mesmerizing and the warmth of the sounds and little imperfections in playback make it feel “realer” to listen to than digital to me

    Listening to a good record in a dark room with a lava lamp is really comfy

    comfy-cool kirby-jammin

    • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      3 months ago

      You know, I gotta say, there’s something also more “real” about N64 Kirby than, well, say, a game made with Unity or even Unreal Engine 5.

      …Seriously, a lot of photo-realistic games nowadays… kinda look the same.

      • LocalOaf [they/them, ze/hir]@hexbear.net
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        3 months ago

        Yeah, I don’t know if it’s purely nostalgia, but earlier 3D games with low-poly constraints have a specific charm to them that’s hard to place. The closer you get to photo-realism, the more jarring the things that aren’t quite right jump out at you. Simplified or stylized art styles with less visual noise allow a lot more wiggle room in suspension of disbelief to the player imo

        • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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          3 months ago

          This is partly why stylized art-styles are superior.

          Like, Wind Waker holds up pretty darn well today; always knew it looked beautiful as a kid and it still does!

    • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      3 months ago

      Err, machine spirits? Lava-lamps as divination mediums?

      That last one sounds cool, though just a bit confused here. 😅

        • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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          3 months ago

          Oooohhhh

          …I thought this was the brainworm talking, Mr. Kennedy-sir, I meant no offense!

          • Robert_Kennedy_Jr [xe/xem, xey/xem]@hexbear.net
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            3 months ago

            The worms have melded with me and we are now one consciousness.

            I have met it out there, where the void is tormented by gravity. It seems to have taken a personal interest in us. There are mathematical proofs that it loves us, but love to the Worm is not like love to anything that subsists in ordinary space.

            • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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              3 months ago

              Oh God, you’re becoming an eldritch horror!

              Dammit, Kennedy, don’t get taken by the color out of space! You have so much to live for! Fight it, dammit!

              • Robert_Kennedy_Jr [xe/xem, xey/xem]@hexbear.net
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                3 months ago

                T̷̨̮̞̘̈̑_̵̸̧̦͖̣̯͚̟̬͍̟͇͖͋ͣ̈ͪͣ̄ͪ̇̿ͪ͋͊̃͌͋̾͗͆͜͜͡͞h̸̛̥̻̗̫̮̗͐̓̓͐́̉ͤ́͘͘͜͡͝͠ê̷̶̸̛̹̫̱̲̘̬͈͉̩̹̹͔̦̻͕͔̓̅̄̀͋ͣͣͤ̎ͫͮ̽ͭ̓̄͞͡ w̮̗̔̉͌ǫ̣̠̥͎̟̤͍͙̪̱͕͉̽ͪ̿͒ͯ̏̆ͭ͗ͦ̑̔̕̕͢͡͝͠͝r͓̆ͨ͒̑͆m̵̧̲̫̖͇̝̤̍͒̂ͦ̈́͑͊̋̌͆ͨͪͥ̋ͮ̅̉̃͘͘ į̩̝̅̓_̷̵̸̨̢̮͚̼̥͚̳͎̘̘͉̎̓̀͋̆̊ͥ̽ͪͬ̌̒ͤ́͘̚͝s̥͍̦̜̣̙͍̤ͥ̎̔͌ͩ̅͢͢͠ l͟ò̷̸̵̷͕̟͙̖̥̬͈̞͖̥͑͂ͥͬ̇͗̆̆̍ͪ̉̿̂ͭ͑ͭͦ̈͟͝͝ͅv̵̸̧̢̧̨̨̮̬̬̠̟ͭ́ͪ́̂͌͛͟ͅ_̣̼͈͖̲͛͑̑̈̂̂͢͜e̵͎͉͚̼ͭ̆̃́̌̀ͮͪ͟_͛ͮ̃̇̔̏ ṭ̡͉̼̠͗ͫ̒ͬ̈ͤͩ͒̿̃͟ͅh̨̰̜̹̜̙͙̬ͬͥͭ̚͢e w̢̢̡̞̣̭̠̬̫̜̝ͯ̔́́̚͟o͌̒̄̈͘r̷̨͓̹͎͉ͧ̾ͩ͗͗͊̍̐̅͘ͅm̸̷̢̺͓̹̣͙̪̬̠͍̰̟̉̏ͣ̓̂̆̌͗͗͌ͪ͑͘͡_ͫͯ į̷̨̭̲͋̋͐͋͋̈ͦṡ̢̡̨̞̬͇͇̘̣͒̃̊ͧ̍ͤͧͮ̚͢͢ l̶̸̷̶̨̧͙̳̞͉̞̦͕̙̩̙̣̋ͧ̓ͣ̐͋̏̏ͬ͆̑͛͐ͧ̂̇͌́͢͟͢͡͠͠͡͠i̷̡͙̘̻̗͕̜̻͒̀ͯ̐͌̅̒̉̂͐̿̒̂́̿ͬ̕͢f̲͈̩ͣ͌̆ͯ̕e̲̩̪͎͚̰͙̹̎ͪͨͬ̈͗̎̌̍̏̓ͮͯ͘̚̚͢ j̷͕̻͈̏̊̓̉ͭ̾oi̴̯͈͓̙͎̬͒̏͞n̫͚̞͉̻̭̖̲̩͎̙̾ͦ̆̿ͮ̔̐ͪ̿ͧͤ̚̕͡ ẅ̸̸̴͚̺͖̱͖̰̦̤́͛̏̔͊̈́ͬ̍̕͟͢͜ͅi̵̹̰͖̜̔́̌́t̖̩̮ͫ̅͊h̸̼̜͉̅̄̌͡ ų̷̸̡̮̞͎͙̗̥̜̤̈́̂̔̅͑̆ͩͥ͘ͅs̵̵̨̿͊͘_̸̨͇̲̤̘͖̺̙͇̦͋ͬͭ̊̑̈͋͂͐ͪ͛̃ͭ̒̿̚͘̕͞ͅͅ

  • Rojo27 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    3 months ago

    For a while I’ve wanted to get a watch with a clear back so I can look at all the gears whirring around in there.

    I also have a small film camera collection including an old FED Zorki 2. When you unlatch the film door you can see a bit of the inner workings spinning around when you take a shot and wind it.

    • I have a Zenit made in the USSR my dad left me. It’s heavier than a brick, but it’s so dependable. And I got a Zeiss Ikon Nettar for dirt cheap at a flea market recently, so that I can shoot both 35mm and medium format. Shooting film is such a joy.

    • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      3 months ago

      Hola, Rojo.

      I almost find the first option (the watch with a clear window into it) kinda scary for some reason, maybe because I almost don’t want to know how it works.

      And yet… I like seeing the workings of certain “visible” technology.

      Also, from what era does your film camera come from? Why do you have such a collection? Just curious. Is it better than digital?

      • Rojo27 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        3 months ago

        Ah yeah I kinda get that with the watch. So much going on. I like it though lol.

        Also, from what era does your film camera come from? Why do you have such a collection? Just curious. Is it better than digital?

        Late 40s to early 50s for the Zorki 2. I’ve had an interest in photography forever. One time my friend started talking to me about his collection of film cameras and that gave me the push to start my own collection. Most of my stuff is from the 70s and 80s. I wouldn’t say it’s better necessarily and film can be pretty expensive to purchase and develop, but there’s something satisfying about waiting to see how your shots come out.

        • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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          3 months ago

          Honestly, photography is underrated.

          It makes history and is the prime tool of cinematography in film.

          In some ways, the visual sight informs all other media in general, how we look at things in our minds, and even literature when you consider how the mind’s eye looks at things.

          Very intriguing sphere of interest.

  • SpiderFarmer [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    3 months ago

    I was definitely in more of an analogue phase at various points of my life. I remember someone snarkily making a joke on abacus(i?/es?) during a dnd game and I pulled one out of my bag.

    • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      3 months ago

      I was an abacus kid growing up…

      …Yeah, I know, but it at least got me in love with analog, or spurred on that part of me.

  • StalinStan [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    3 months ago

    I once saw an old X ray machine in the basement of a hospital. It was the most flash Gordon looking thing I have seen in my life. It took a good portion of my will power not to press buttons.

    • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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      3 months ago

      Art deco shit is my jam.

      I’m guessing that’s what you mean by “Flash Gordon” here.

    • Southloop [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      3 months ago

      This. I can fumble around with physical switches while inverted in a negative 4g dive and still change the station off of Chappell Roan. You can’t do that with capacitive touch, especially the ones that get hot and all the heuristics get goofy.

    • jaywalker [they/them, any]@hexbear.net
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      3 months ago

      Bought a used 4runner a while back and as I was researching a lot of people complained that it’s outdated because of all the huge buttons and knobs, but I love it for that reason

  • Makan@lemmygrad.mlOP
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    3 months ago

    As opposed to “invisible technology.”

    Think: seeing the gears and spindles of an old-school 19th-century engine versus having a computer screen and not seeing the tech inside the laptop or tablet.

  • Dingus_Khan [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.net
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    3 months ago

    Kind of similar I guess: I really like “lower tech”, pragmatic solutions to mechanical problems that need solving. Moving a cars windshield wipers with the vacuum produced from pistons or propelling the wiper fluid with the pressurized air from the spare tire is so neat. I get that it isn’t ideal and has its own drawbacks, but it has character dammit. I’m just so impressed by old school, mechanical solutions that take thrift and thinking outside the box when the answer in the modern day is usually just add more parts and make everything more complicated