AnimalsDream

I do appreciate that the grips are flared out at least a little on this controller. The 90° ones on the Steam Deck can be quite uncomfortable, especially given that it’s a pretty heavy and cumbersome device.

My biggest skepticism is the dpad though. It looks nearly identical to the Steam Deck’s, which is easily one of the worst dpads I’ve ever used. Hopefully the underlying mechanisms and feel of it has been improved.

I don’t like the look of this controller… I’m still gonna get one. Everything else I love.

Especially that SteamOS is apparently going to become available on ARM devices.

Also a very underrated flavoring that’s unjustly stigmatized because of racism is MSG. You can get really big bags of them for super cheap, and it’s an easy way to make any meal taste savory.

It’s a bit of a misunderstanding to think white rice is only “nutritionless junkfood”. As you said the fortification does make it kind of like a multivitamin in addition to providing decent macros. The main issue is the loss of fiber and other nutrients bound up with it. This can be mitigated though. If you include other high fiber foods like broccoli, legumes, and/or other vegetables in the same meal it will balance the way the rice digests a little and reduce the glycemic load. Another thing you can do is cook, then chill, then reheat the rice - this will cause resistant starches to form, which have somewhat similar properties to fiber and also are good for our gut microbiome.

This is untrue. Virtually all plants have all essential amino acids. The only difference is that the main plant-based sources of proteins that people rely on - legumes and grains - have relatively lower levels of one or another amino acid than some other sources. But no studies have found those differences to have any negative impact on people’s health, or even their ability to gain muscle, whether they combine proteins or not.

Here’s an interview with Christopher Gardner - a specialist who goes into detail on this topic.

What we really need is for people to worry more about where they’re getting their fiber, than protein.

Edit: although it should be noted that it is still good to eat both grains and beans for other reasons. Diversity of foods is important for the gut microbiome for a start.

That is part of it, but not the complete story. I talked about the same things in a comment elsewhere here, but in a nutshell it’s the combination of fiber and the oligosaccharides in beans. The latter is what leeches out into the bean juice, which is why rinsing beans can go a long way toward reducing gas.

But for the fiber there is no getting around the need to just eat it everyday to get the microbiome adjusted to it. Where people go wrong is eating a ton of high fiber foods all at once and getting miserable with a ton of gas. It’s better to add those foods more gradually to get used to them.

Textured Vegetable Protein. It’s basically soy that’s been processed in a way that results in a granular product that’s mostly protein, and has a somewhat similar texture to ground meats.

Personally I prefer Soy Curls because those are made from whole beans and still have their fiber, but tvp can be a great choice for people with especially high protein needs like strength trainers.

Some notes about gas: It’s primarily caused by a combination of fiber, and in the case of beans, by the oligosaccharides. The fiber can be handled by gradually increasing intake of high fiber foods. The more you get used to eating them, the less bloated you should feel, and it generally goes down to a normal level of gas that most people experience.

For the oligosaccharides, soaking and rinsing the dry beans does help remove a lot of it. Rinsing canned beans also helps. Taking Beano (or an equivalent) can help too. There are also claims of various spices being able to help as well.

It’s also important to note that different types of legumes can cause more bloating, or less. Experiment with different kinds to find what works for you.

If you’re willing/able to make the effort, sprouting and even fermenting will significantly help with bloating as well.

As a last resort or easy reprieve, opting for low fiber plant foods like white rice and tofu won’t hurt in the short term, though whole foods should generally be preferred because natural sources of fiber of hugely beneficial.

On an unrelated note, I have always hated soaking beans, which is why the Instant Pot has been one of the single greatest cooking inventions I have ever used. Supposedly the pressure cooking also breaks down the oligosaccharides and reduces bloating. I just love it because I can toss in a bunch of beans and oat groats, and have enough of that stuff cooked to easily and quickly prepare meals every day for a week with each batch.

Have they considered that they’re just not a great channel?

No no, it’s when you get circumcision and then rub Tylenol on the wound… right?

I didn’t say they were?

I banned Apple from my life a long time ago.

Ugh. Looking at the comment sections in posts about religious authoritarians, is about as insufferable as the comment sections in posts asking people to reduce their animal consumption.

Right, and I’m just saying why expend so much energy on a Gordian knot, when there’s a much more effective, reasonable way to cut right through it? The puzzle is essentially saying, “how can I do a thing that is like the thing I’m trying to avoid doing.” Just do the thing! 😅

Just be sure to scrutinize the ingredients in those refried beans. A lot of them contain lard.

Also, don’t forget to include as many dark leafy greens in those rice and beans, which will help a lot in lowering cholesterol.

Yeah I’ve debated with antinatalists who used that argument. It’s definitely an absurd stance on the face of it, though some aspects are worth considering. For example if you struggle significantly with cognitive disorders, and life is hell for you, you might want to ask yourself if it’s a good idea to bring someone in the world who very likely will experience a similar hell. And of course socioeconomic concerns matter too. I’ve only ever had entry-level jobs, and owning my own house kind of feels like a distant dream, so having children is practically infeasible. Plus the whole living in what’s shaping up to be an all out fascist dictatorship thing.

Agreed. It’s depressing that everyone who continues relying on animal products and exploitation have so many psychological barriers put up to even facing and contemplating the other animal atrocities openly. It becomes more heart-wrenching the more you think about it.

Some perspective is important here. From the point of view of the average person, what a vegan might call the “carnist” worldview, there’s a cultural perception that being vegan is a kind of monolithic puritanical religion. As if to live a life without using animal products is comparable to the self-flagellations of the penitent Christian.

But it has to be recognized, that perception is a stereotype perpetuated from outside perspectives looking in. Inexperience vs experience.

In real life, there is constant disagreement and debate among vegans, so definitely not a monolith. With today’s food options (at least in western countries), there’s nothing puritanical or self-punishing about living a vegan lifestyle - to the point that “junkfood vegan” is a badge of pride from some. At the end of the day we’re just regular people, like everyone else. All we’ve done is decided that other animals should have basic universal rights, and then we try to live in accord with that.

It’s not perfection, it’s a moral baseline.

And it’s worth striving for that baseline, because reducetarianism doesn’t work.

While cultured meat really could be a game changer (as long as it’s being done in a way that doesn’t exploit and harm animals in and of itself), let’s not forget that plants in and of themselves are amazing, right now.

That’s a good general direction. But all the more reason to push for those things now, and then.

Also, saying it’s impossible under capitalism somewhat doesn’t give the animal liberation movements the credit they deserve. It’s worth looking into the history of veganism. While there have been plenty of people and groups in virtually every culture who were either vegan-adjacent or somewhere in the same direction, the vegan movement is quite recent in the grand scheme of things. Any snapshot of where we’re at might make it seem like we’re small and insignificant, but the growth of the movement has been quite rapid when looking at the big picture.

We’re just still in the early stages. But even 10 years ago was way different. Far fewer plant-based options. Far less awareness of the horror of factory farms. A lot less visibility in general. Now it’s getting harder for people to ignore us.