nothis's recent activity
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Comment on Some observations about some of the conversations here in ~tildes
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Comment on GPT-4o in ~tech
nothis Link ParentI think it’s clever they kept the demos “messy”. My first question would be whether I can just talk over it and tell it to shut up and get to the point if it’s not going anywhere and they answer...I think it’s clever they kept the demos “messy”. My first question would be whether I can just talk over it and tell it to shut up and get to the point if it’s not going anywhere and they answer that question within seconds, lol.
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Comment on GPT-4o in ~tech
nothis Link ParentIt‘s clear they watched Her. Like, it’s basically an off-brand Scarlett Johansson. Can’t blame them, my mind is blown. No way in hell would I have expected to have a phone with that kind of...It‘s clear they watched Her. Like, it’s basically an off-brand Scarlett Johansson. Can’t blame them, my mind is blown. No way in hell would I have expected to have a phone with that kind of conversational AI by 2024. I’m sure they’ll do more neutral voices as well.
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Comment on What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next? in ~humanities
nothis LinkIf you live in a western country, there's already tons of luxuries that would have felt equally preposterous to previous generations: We more or less eliminated hunger, we can fly in planes and...If you live in a western country, there's already tons of luxuries that would have felt equally preposterous to previous generations: We more or less eliminated hunger, we can fly in planes and access pretty much any information ever written down from a device in our pocket. There's always another audacious goal to strive towards. But the things you mentioned will probably keep us busy for a few more hundred years at least.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
nothis Link ParentIt’s a JRPG from the 90s, not Shakespearean drama (although somehow it even imitates that in the final chapter, lol). I tend to have a problem with judging stories in games like this since I...It’s a JRPG from the 90s, not Shakespearean drama (although somehow it even imitates that in the final chapter, lol). I tend to have a problem with judging stories in games like this since I instinctively adjust my expectations but there’s some rather charming little moments that pulled me in.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
nothis LinkLive a Live (Switch). For years, I kept bringing this game up as the most interesting “hidden gem” from the SNES era and it’s a bit surreal to play a proper remake of it today. It’s an episodic...Live a Live (Switch). For years, I kept bringing this game up as the most interesting “hidden gem” from the SNES era and it’s a bit surreal to play a proper remake of it today. It’s an episodic JRPG (you can do episodes in any order) with chapters set in a wide variety of time periods and settings. There’s a Wild West chapter, a far future chapter on a space ship, a prehistoric chapter and one where you play a Ninja in Edo Japan. Some are heavily story-driven, some have a focus on fighting. The far future chapter is basically sci-fi horror, the prehistoric one is slapstick comedy. The game also has an interesting turn-based fighting system which lets you move characters in a 7x7 grid with attacks having chess-like ranges. It’s way more interesting and strategic than the usual JRPG grind.
Fairly short, though, for RPG standards (I think around 25 hours) and a bit easy. But what a ride! So many cool little ideas, characters and twists. I’m not entirely sure of that 2.5D aesthetic they’re using, I find it a bit tacky (especially since the full-res UI and particle effects make for a weird contrast). But still, this is an interesting game and the first chance to officially play this outside Japan in 30 years! One of the few cases where I can actually get excited about a remake.
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Comment on Why the short-lived Calvin and Hobbes is still one of the most beloved and influential comic strips in ~comics
nothis LinkI love how every article about Calvin and Hobbes is like "but what's Schulz' secret?!?" and the answer is always "he didn't sell out". And yet we get article after article about how that could...I love how every article about Calvin and Hobbes is like "but what's Schulz' secret?!?" and the answer is always "he didn't sell out". And yet we get article after article about how that could possibly be and how crazy it is and did he really say no to selling out? Yes he did!
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
nothis Link ParentHow do you even begin to fix this? A rather dark and cynical part of me thinks that the only solution would come from within but what would that look like? A gang taking over and forming a...How do you even begin to fix this? A rather dark and cynical part of me thinks that the only solution would come from within but what would that look like? A gang taking over and forming a dictatorship? Devastating.
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Comment on Pompeii: new paintings found in ~humanities.history
nothis LinkI love these so much, it’s downright absurd how well preserved these frescos look! It seems to me that over the past year or two a lot has been discovered, is there a new technique they’re using...I love these so much, it’s downright absurd how well preserved these frescos look! It seems to me that over the past year or two a lot has been discovered, is there a new technique they’re using or something?
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Comment on ‘Matrix 5’ in the works with Drew Goddard as director, Lana Wachowski as executive producer in ~movies
nothis Link ParentThe Animatrix is the only good thing that ever came out of franchise-ing the Matrix.The Animatrix is the only good thing that ever came out of franchise-ing the Matrix.
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Comment on ‘Matrix 5’ in the works with Drew Goddard as director, Lana Wachowski as executive producer in ~movies
nothis Link ParentThey've done enough damage to it with Matrix Reloaded. But yea, Resurrections was an unbearable, tacky trainwreck of a movie.They've done enough damage to it with Matrix Reloaded. But yea, Resurrections was an unbearable, tacky trainwreck of a movie.
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Comment on Microsoft to separate Teams and Office globally amid antitrust scrutiny, will cost $5.25/month standalone in ~tech
nothis Link ParentWhatever Microsoft was sued for in 1998, Google should be sued for 10 times over. It's ridiculous how much of the web and mobile infrastructure runs through Google. They should not own a browser...Whatever Microsoft was sued for in 1998, Google should be sued for 10 times over. It's ridiculous how much of the web and mobile infrastructure runs through Google. They should not own a browser standard but de facto do, I've seen more and more web apps blatantly telling you they only work with Chrome. Same shit as that happened with the Internet Explorer (ironically, Edge is now a Chrome reskin as well).
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Comment on Why Bluesky remains the most interesting experiment in social media, by far in ~tech
nothis LinkIs that really a feature? Isn't the whole problem with social media that you create your own reality-bubble?This means that anyone can provide moderation services, and users can pick who they want to moderate their experience.
Is that really a feature? Isn't the whole problem with social media that you create your own reality-bubble?
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Comment on The small company at the center of ‘Gamergate 2.0’ in ~games
nothis Link ParentYou seem to actually put effort into arguing this point, so I'm gonna ask: What, concretely, is the thing gamergate "exposed"? Professional game critics having a liberal arts background? I do not...You seem to actually put effort into arguing this point, so I'm gonna ask: What, concretely, is the thing gamergate "exposed"? Professional game critics having a liberal arts background? I do not think the (absolutely bizarre!) Five Guys manifesto is a "red herring", it's literally the whole story and everything that followed was a reaction to the following crusade not being appropriate or proportionate. Even the most damning accusations were of the kind of "some journalist donated to a patreon of a game dev he mentioned positively".
What annoys me about the cultural impact (beyond the fact that individual people got attacked) is that this happened at a time when games got really good, mostly thanks to indie devs and interesting, experimental takes on the medium. This would have been a great time for the medium to mature, critics to grow beyond mere entertainment reporters and conversation about games getting deeper. Instead we got this shit, places like /v/ exerting dominance in gaming discussion and forcefully (there was doxxing and death threats) setting back gaming discourse a decade or more. All in the name of "ethics in game journalism". Note that the Sweet Baby story is about a company... doing story consulting work. There is nothing even to "expose". Like, the "-gate" part implies something illegal or at least unethical being exposed. This is about having a brown woman as a side character in some AAA game. That is the absolute state of this movement.
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Comment on The small company at the center of ‘Gamergate 2.0’ in ~games
nothis Link ParentI have to disagree strongly about gamergate ever having been about anything real. It was, quite transparently, a case of lonely internet men acting out a fantasy about the women that aren’t...I have to disagree strongly about gamergate ever having been about anything real. It was, quite transparently, a case of lonely internet men acting out a fantasy about the women that aren’t interested in them forming conspiracies against them. Period.
Zoe Quinn barely made a dent on gaming culture before, she had like two quirky text adventures that got mentioned in lists of unusual indie games. The gamergate conspiracy claimed that there was essentially a scandalous wave of gaming journalists who slept with female indie devs who got favorable coverage in return but that, obviously, was ridiculous. I don’t even remember a second female game dev being in the news back then, let alone a third or anything you could consider “a pattern”.
The hate for Anita Sarkeesian was about her taking the boobs away. Like… there’s porn. That’s it, that’s the whole fucking story.
The whole thing is and has always been stupid and, ultimately, a power trip for insecure white men. I have not seen a single argument that would convince me otherwise.
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Comment on Travelling to Japan for eleven days in May. Stay in Kyoto or Osaka other than Tokyo? in ~travel
nothis LinkI spent 3 weeks in Japan last year and it's been my favorite trip ever. I have to hold myself back from writing a novel about all the awesome things we saw but I think you're on the right track if...I spent 3 weeks in Japan last year and it's been my favorite trip ever.
I have to hold myself back from writing a novel about all the awesome things we saw but I think you're on the right track if you have Nara on your list (feeding the deer in the middle of the city was an absolute highlight!).
If nightlife is not your thing, I'd recommend Kyoto over Osaka. Osaka is good at the extreme sensory-overload type of neon sign aesthetic but Tokyo can provide that as well. Kyoto is temple city. You can soak in "modern" Japan in Akihabara and I found the quiet streets of Kyoto a nice contrast. Try walking a day along the "philosopher's path" and check out the most famous temples and houses with gardens along the way, those gardens are breathtakingly beautiful.
As for other day(ish)-trip recommendations: We spent two days in Hakone where we treated ourselves to a stay in a traditional ryokan. It's expensive but a very beautiful and unique experience. A sliding door to a private garden, an 8 course kaiseki meal, a private onsen. A big surprise for me (since I'm not that big of an art museum guy) was the Hakone Open-Air Museum. It's sculptures placed in a large, hilly area, with a few buildings in-between (including a huge Picasso pavilion). With the mountains in the back, it was really beautiful.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically (round 2) in ~games
nothis Link ParentIt can be hard for me to tell what’s “obvious “ since I love the genre but I can recommend Stephen’s Sausage Roll.It can be hard for me to tell what’s “obvious “ since I love the genre but I can recommend Stephen’s Sausage Roll.
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Comment on Shell to permanently close all of its hydrogen refuelling stations for cars in California in ~transport
nothis Link ParentWhat's the long-term, serious solution for how long it takes to charge car batteries? I always thought of this as a problem that will be solved, eventually, but somehow it's still a thing. I heard...What's the long-term, serious solution for how long it takes to charge car batteries? I always thought of this as a problem that will be solved, eventually, but somehow it's still a thing. I heard about battery-swapping, is that feasible?
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Comment on The majority of traffic from Elon Musk's X may have been fake during the Super Bowl, report suggests in ~tech
nothis Link ParentHe's an asshole, to make that clear, but this was like, his major thing: Get rid of the bots!He's an asshole, to make that clear, but this was like, his major thing: Get rid of the bots!
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Comment on The majority of traffic from Elon Musk's X may have been fake during the Super Bowl, report suggests in ~tech
nothis Link ParentDidn’t Elon Musk claim “getting rid of bots” was his primary goal in order to fix twitter?Didn’t Elon Musk claim “getting rid of bots” was his primary goal in order to fix twitter?
There's only one good reason for comments and that's further information. You can get into a little more depth, provide anecdotes and examples, yes. But the most valuable information is probably that which has the potential to counter the original statement.
I agree that there's a childish kind of contrarianism, basically a teenager just training his ability to question the status quo but other than that, I see no problem with it. I've recently thought about what general rule can help against the current problem with people getting their news from a bubble that confirms their biases. "Seeking information that challenges your viewpoint" is the only universal rule I could come up with. Doesn't mean you automatically agree with every counter-point but it's good to have some exposure to it.