pumpkin-eater's recent activity

  1. Comment on War safety - Home assistant config by Denys Dovhan in ~tech

    pumpkin-eater
    (edited )
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    This sort of trick is exactly the sort of thing I hope I'd be doing in their position, and it's simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. What a dystopian reality Ukrainians have to live in....

    This sort of trick is exactly the sort of thing I hope I'd be doing in their position, and it's simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. What a dystopian reality Ukrainians have to live in. You're at war, but don't forget there's work in the morning. Safety or sleep.

    The absolute waste of such ingeneous minds - whether to combat, to Russian missiles targeting civilians while they visit a hardware store, or to the effects of PTSD long after they defeat Russia... and it's being prolonged by our obsession in the west with escalation management, tiptoeing around hoping Russia doesn't escalate to nuclear war just because they got punched in the nose for the first time and don't get to add yet more territory to their failure of an empire.

    ...On a lighter note, I couldn't help but think of this XKCD when reading the scraper configuration https://xkcd.com/208/

    6 votes

  2. Comment on Return to Senua: Hellblade's Melina Juergens on reprising a role she never thought she'd play in ~games

    pumpkin-eater
    (edited )
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    I realise it's not for everybody, but I actually really enjoyed the game's length - I thought it got in, told a story, and got out. I played it in two sittings, which was great: I have difficulty...

    I realise it's not for everybody, but I actually really enjoyed the game's length - I thought it got in, told a story, and got out. I played it in two sittings, which was great: I have difficulty finding the time to finish a lot of games nowadays. The production quality was amazing.

    As a caveat, I'm more into story than combat in games (e.g. I just love a TTRPG session where weapons aren't drawn), so I like that companies occasionally release games that are more like interactive movies.

    It definitely felt weaker than the original game, IMHO:

    1. My main complaint is that overall it felt safer (e.g. the voices felt more supportive than intrusive - I really liked the original's representation of intrusiveness... but at the same time on this, her character has grown so it's hard to knock them not choosing to have her stuck in the same emotional hole as the original)
    2. The combat felt simultaneously more intense and less interactive than the original, and wish they had some thumping Heilung-backed powerful combat moments (maybe that speaks more to my skill in button pressing of course... it almost had some of that near the end)
    3. It felt a little thin in the back 1/3rd, like they were pushed to get it out the door
    4. I don't think it stuck the ending like the 1st game did (in particular, I found the final boss battle frustrating rather than challenging - and that made the ending fall a little flat because I wanted to do something completely at odds with the character)

    That said, $10/hour (assuming 1 playthrough, which I assume is all most people will do) strikes me as quite reasonable given the production standard (throughout the first half of the game the voices are nearly constantly talking, and the image quality was breathtaking all the way through). I also don't know emotionally that I could have managed a 10 hour game at the level of intensity of the 1st half... they could have made combat longer, I'm kinda glad they didn't use that to pad the length.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    LEGO® for all 😹 Now we just need a signed affidavit that you're an American and that's the issue put to bed!

    LEGO® for all 😹
    Now we just need a signed affidavit that you're an American and that's the issue put to bed!

    2 votes

  4. Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    That's weirdly blunt/rude phrasing... are you trying to imply that Americans only talk about American companies or something? Starting to regret posting comments on Tildes now :-/

    That's weirdly blunt/rude phrasing... are you trying to imply that Americans only talk about American companies or something?

    Starting to regret posting comments on Tildes now :-/

    5 votes

  5. Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    A fair point, I don't think I've heard any US folks talk about the company itself!

    A fair point, I don't think I've heard any US folks talk about the company itself!

    3 votes

  6. Comment on The most mispronounced brand from every country in ~humanities.languages

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    I personally suspect that "Lego" is the most mispronounced brand in the US - I have never heard an American who doesn't call them "Legos" (although I'm sure they exist - even if only those...

    I personally suspect that "Lego" is the most mispronounced brand in the US - I have never heard an American who doesn't call them "Legos" (although I'm sure they exist - even if only those employed by Lego)

    5 votes

  7. Comment on What would you recommend for a single, minimal, "overview-of-the-world" news source? in ~talk

    pumpkin-eater
    Link
    Just a counter-point: have you considered that if something at that level of important happens, you'll hear about it organically from other people who do keep an eye on the news? Very little of...

    Just a counter-point: have you considered that if something at that level of important happens, you'll hear about it organically from other people who do keep an eye on the news? Very little of what appears even in reputable global news homepages is actually relevant to your life vs interesting things happening.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Dozens of Texas water systems exceed new federal PFAS limits in ~enviro

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    Could it be that Texas water systems are mostly pulling from aquifers? We add PFAS to pretty much everything, so even if the soon-to-be-emptied aquifers are pure, nothing else is!

    Could it be that Texas water systems are mostly pulling from aquifers? We add PFAS to pretty much everything, so even if the soon-to-be-emptied aquifers are pure, nothing else is!

    3 votes

  9. Comment on Fellow hardline materialists, how do you "enchant" the world? in ~talk

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    Ahh I think i see what you meant now, that it is life that's cruel and uncaring... that life itself exists is magical, but the realities of predation and parasitism are pretty unpleasant. I'd...

    Ahh I think i see what you meant now, that it is life that's cruel and uncaring... that life itself exists is magical, but the realities of predation and parasitism are pretty unpleasant. I'd imagine most people get by with ignoring it unless they're confronted with it, and then forgetting about it as soon as they can (whether they're religious or not - perhaps Buddhism has an answer to the awful ways most animals die, but I don't think any other religion does beyond "it must be like this for a reason").

    I imagine being a life scientist you're in the tough position of being constantly reminded of those unpleasant realities... what do others in your profession think/do about it, out of interest?

    3 votes

  10. Comment on Fellow hardline materialists, how do you "enchant" the world? in ~talk

    pumpkin-eater
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    You don't think the structures of the observable universe, both large and small, are infinitely enchanting by themselves? Personally, I am captivated by the beauty of the universe (and yes, its...

    You don't think the structures of the observable universe, both large and small, are infinitely enchanting by themselves? Personally, I am captivated by the beauty of the universe (and yes, its unfathomable vastness), and find it utterly delightful that such small collections of matter as ourselves are able to self-assemble, and to then have an agency that nothing else we've observed demonstrates.

    I find the above much more magical than any attempt to anthropomorphise the laws of physics which are, let's face it, not cruel: simply indifferent to whether some transiently-conscious structure of its particles is created or destroyed.

    23 votes

  11. Comment on Let's talk about Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in ~music

    pumpkin-eater
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    I tend not to listen to the songs until the semi-finals (which I contest are the true Eurovision), but I've been really liking the vibes of the Ukrainian entry this year

    I tend not to listen to the songs until the semi-finals (which I contest are the true Eurovision), but I've been really liking the vibes of the Ukrainian entry this year

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Police bodycam shows sheriff hunting for 'obscene' books at library in ~books

  13. Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games

    pumpkin-eater
    Link Parent
    Fellow gaymer here (and I bet you already know this!) if you haven't already it might be helpful to talk to a professional about this, since I'm sure it's having more of an effect on you than your...

    Fellow gaymer here (and I bet you already know this!) if you haven't already it might be helpful to talk to a professional about this, since I'm sure it's having more of an effect on you than your choice in games (and as part of that, stealth games might even end up being a useful tool for exposure therapy?)

    I know how much of an impact hiding who you are makes, and you deserve to be free of that baggage ❤️

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Semaglutide for weight loss in ~health

    pumpkin-eater
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    I used Ozempic for a few months (stopped after reading a story about shortages making it difficult for Diabetics to get access to it). Due to shortages, I started with (and stuck to) 0.5mg and it...

    I used Ozempic for a few months (stopped after reading a story about shortages making it difficult for Diabetics to get access to it). Due to shortages, I started with (and stuck to) 0.5mg and it worked very well as an appetite suppressant for weight loss, and I had no side-effects. Other side-benefits I saw directly:

    1. By not eating as much I was able to stop taking PPIs/H2RAs, which give me headaches, which was huge
    2. It saved me money - Ozempic cost was high, but reduced appetitite meant I ordered takeout way less (and if I did, ordered a sensible amount of food for a human). That may not be an issue if you don't spend a huge amount on food today, though.

    YMMV, but I think if you think it can make a significant difference in your weight, you're happy risking the listed side-effects (and, importantly, you're happy with being on it for the rest of your life - I don't think it's any more likely to result in a change in your lifestyle/mindset than any other weight loss intervention) it's worth a try.

    1 vote