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    1. Games: Your personal year in review for 2025

      I know Steam Replay isn’t out yet, but I figure it’s still a good enough time to get the ball rolling. This is your place to share any and all thoughts on your gaming for 2025. Games you talk...

      I know Steam Replay isn’t out yet, but I figure it’s still a good enough time to get the ball rolling.

      This is your place to share any and all thoughts on your gaming for 2025.

      Games you talk about do NOT have to be limited to this year’s releases.

      Feel free to share:

      • Favorites
      • Disappointments
      • Surprises
      • Memorable moments
      • Self-reflections
      • Anything else!

      Let us know how your gaming for 2025 went.

      27 votes
    2. Day 8: Playground

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2025/day/8 Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it...

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2025/day/8

      Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it nicely, with the code collapsed by default inside an expandable section with syntax highlighting (you can replace python with any of the "short names" listed in this page of supported languages):

      <details>
      <summary>Part 1</summary>
      
      ```python
      Your code here.
      ```
      
      </details>
      
      1 vote
    3. Markdown/inline links don't work unless URL starts with http(s)

      I figured I can't have been the first to notice this but I can't find any specific mention, and it still trips me up every so often. If I want to link to Tildes, I can type http://tildes.net,...

      I figured I can't have been the first to notice this but I can't find any specific mention, and it still trips me up every so often.

      If I want to link to Tildes, I can type
      http://tildes.net,
      https://tildes.net, or
      www.tildes.net,

      and they format automatically. Simply tildes.net (or blog.tildes.net) doesn't automatically turn into a link, which makes sense.

      However, if I do inline links, only the first two will work:

      Tildes (http), and
      Tildes (https).

      Tildes (www) results in Error 422 (Unprocessable Entity), topic_id36: String does not match expected pattern.
      Tildes and Tildes (blog) do the same.

      I saw the link canonicalization issue on GitLab but I don't know if this would fall under that.

      16 votes
    4. CGA-2025-12 🏴‍☠️🏝️🍌 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Secret of Monkey Island

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Introduction

      Deep in the Caribbean, the pirate haven of Mêlée Island is home to the deadliest brood of ne'er-do-wells what ever sailed the seven seas: the infamous scurvy seadog Meathook; the buccaneer Sword Master whose name is feared in every corner of the isle; and most horrifically, the spectral ghost pirate LeChuck. Onto these disreputable shores late one night arrives the hapless, clueless, and utterly guileless flooring inspector Guybrush Threepwood, with nothing to his name but the dream of somehow becoming a real pirate himself.

      Discover a thrilling world of swordplay, thievery, and, er, treasure huntery in The Secret of Monkey Island. Insult your enemies, fire the cannons, find true love, concoct mysterious voodoo brews, poison guards, evade cannibals, traverse hellish catacombs, raise a pint of grog, and (maybe) discover the Secret for yourself!


      The Secret of Monkey Island

      Happy December! This month we're playing the legendary 1990 Lucasfilm Games point-and-click adventure from the minds of Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman.

      You see, one of my favorite rides in Disneyland is Pirates of the Caribbean. You get on a little boat and it takes you through a pirate adventure… Your boat keeps you moving through the adventure, but I’ve always wished I could get off and wander around, learn more about the characters, and find a way onto those pirate ships.

      • Ron Gilbert, from the Lucasfilm Adventurer, Fall 1990

      I was sorting through some boxes today and I came across my copy of Tim Power's On Stranger Tides, which I read in the late 80's and was the inspiration for Monkey Island. Some people believe the inspiration for Monkey Island came from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride — probably because I said it several times during interviews — but that was really just for the ambiance. If you read this book you can really see where Guybrush and LeChuck were plagiarized derived from, plus the heavy influence of voodoo in the game.

      • Ron Gilbert, from Grumpy Gamer, 2004

      The Secret of Monkey Island is renowned for its zany humor, great (and mostly fair) puzzle design, gorgeous pixel graphics, and memorable soundtrack. Unlike other adventure games of the era, SMI invites you to try anything and everything without worry — you can't die. It's chock full of goofy swashbuckling anachronisms and hilarious good times. Maybe a little frustration too. Hey, you can just look up the answers when you get stuck. We couldn't do that in the '90s. Respect the grind.

      The game originally released for DOS, Amiga, Macintosh, Atari ST, FM Towns, and Sega CD. Those versions are no longer available for purchase in the usual places (you might try eBay but save up your pieces o' eight if you go that route). All the original versions are playable in ScummVM if you lack the necessary hardware. If you find yourself needing access to a Dial-A-Pirate wheel, the original has been helpfully digitized here for your convenience.

      Different releases of the original game have different audio and graphics. Some people have opinions about which version is best. These are all valid. I prefer the version I grew up with, but no shade on the others. They all have their own charms.

      The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is a 2009 remaster that is the official recommended way to play today. It includes fully recreated high-resolution graphics, music, and voiced dialogue, with a modernized UI. It includes a quick toggle between classic and remastered modes, which is a nice touch. The Windows version is currently on sale for 50% off from GOG (DRM-free), and also available from Steam. It is reportedly playable on Steam Deck.

      Side tangent about voice acting in the Special Edition...

      This interview with Dominic Armato hints at one of my favorite real-world stories related to Monkey Island. This aspiring voice actor was a huge fan of the first two games in the series, which were originally unvoiced. He was in the right place at the right time to land the role of Guybrush in the third installment, which was the first to have voiced characters. It's a good but not great game, and very different from the first two due to being helmed by an entirely different team. All other things aside, Armato NAILED it. He is Guybrush. He returned to voice the fourth game and then... was brought back to reprise his role in the Special Editions of SMI and MI2. It was a dream come true for him, but amazing for fans of the series too; finally the original games have full voiced dialogue and the main character is played by the guy who was born to do it.

      The rest of the voice cast is great too. This aspect of the Special Edition really rounds out the game nicely and I consider it an essential part of the experience now. That said, personally I find the SE visuals and music to be really lackluster, and I prefer the original UI as well. You can toggle the classic mode but this removes the VO too... which is why I will instead be playing the Ultimate Talkie Edition, a fan hack of the DOS release (playable in ScummVM) that adds the SE voice tracks and keeps the original everything else. It can be easily found online but I'll refrain from linking it here since SMI's abandonware status is debatable.

      From what I can tell the Special Editions of SMI and its first sequel were also sold as a bundle for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and iOS. I can't speak to the current availability of any of those but they're probably all terrible ways to experience it anyway.

      Limited Run Games has also issued a few re-releases of the original game in recent years. I don't know much about these, and good luck finding them for sale anywhere.

      Genres: Adventure, Point-and-Click

      Links: MobyGames, Wikipedia


      Game Setup

      The main purpose of this topic is to get people up and running with the game. As such, it's recommended that you:

      • Share which version of the game you're playing
      • Share what hardware you're playing it on
      • Share if there are any tools/mods that you recommend
      • Share anything you think is important for people to know before they start the game
      • Ask questions if you need help

      Another purpose of this topic is to revisit the game and its time period:

      • Do you have any memories or associations with this game itself?
      • What about its system or era?
      • What aspects of retro gaming were common at the time?
      • What other games from the same time period are you familiar with?
      • What are you expecting from this game in particular?

      Finally, this topic is the beginning discussion for people starting to play it:

      • Post updates sharing your thoughts as you play.
      • Ask for help if you get stuck.
      • Offer help to others.

      It is recommended that you reply to your own posts if you are making consecutive updates so that they are in the same thread.

      IMPORTANT: Any links to the game should be legal distributions of the game only. Please do NOT link to any unauthorized copies.

      IMPORTANT: Put any spoilers in a dropdown block. Copy/paste the block below if needed.

      <details>
      <summary>Spoilers</summary>
      
      Spoiler text goes here.
      </details>
      

      FAQ

      What is CGA?

      Colossal Game Adventure (CGA) is Tildes' retro video game club.

      Each month we will play a different retro game/games, discuss our thoughts, and bask in the glorious digital experiences of yesteryear!

      Colossal Game Adventure is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure. It's one of the most influential games of all time, one of the first text-based interactive games, and one of the first games to be shared online.

      What do we want to do with this group? Play influential games; interact with each other through text; and share the love for retro games online!

      It also abbreviates to CGA (because we love chunky pixel art), and its name communicates the Colossal amount of fun and excitement that we have with retro video Games in our shared Adventure of playing them together.

      Do I have to sign up?

      No. Participation is open to all.

      There is a Notification List that will get pinged each time a new topic goes up. If you would like to join that list, please PM u/kfwyre.

      Are there restrictions on what/how to play?

      Each month will have a focus game or games that will guide our discussions. Beyond that, there are no restrictions. The philosophy of CGA is to play in a way that works for you!

      This means:

      • Choose whichever version of the game you want.
      • You can use cheats, save states, mods, etc.
      • You can watch a streamer or longplay instead of playing it.

      If you have already played a game and want a different experience:

      • Try a randomizer or challenge run.
      • Play a different version of it.
      • Play a related game (sequel, spiritual successor, something inspired by it, etc.)

      There is no wrong way to participate in CGA, and every different way someone participates will make for more interesting discussions.

      What is the schedule?

      Each month the Insert Cartidge topic will be posted on the 1st, while the Remove Cartridge topic will be posted on the 20th.

      Nomination and voting topics will happen in March and September (every 6 months).

      Schedules are also posted then.

      All CGA topics are available using the colossal game adventure tag.

      What do Insert and Remove Cartridge mean?

      Inserting and removing cartridges are our retro metaphor for starting and stopping a given game or games.

      The Insert Cartridge topic happens at the beginning of the month and is primarily about getting the game up and running.

      The Remove Cartridge topic happens toward the end of the month and is primarily about people reflecting on the game now that they've played it.

      There are no hard restrictions on what has to go in either topic, and each can be used to discuss the game, post updates, ask questions, etc.


      Closing Thoughts

      How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

      23 votes
    5. Winter boot recommendations for women

      Not really sure where this fits in terms of topic. My wife and I live in Minnesota, and we can get some gnarly snow and cold weather. This year she had repeatedly expressed desire for a high...

      Not really sure where this fits in terms of topic.

      My wife and I live in Minnesota, and we can get some gnarly snow and cold weather. This year she had repeatedly expressed desire for a high quality, durable boot for the winter.

      I've seen various recommendations but honestly most of them feel astroturfed.

      Does anyone here have a good suggestion on a boot that will last, be high quality, and keep her warm in the winters in deep snow?

      26 votes
    6. Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
      Yas Marina Circuit
      December 5-7, 2025


      Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
      Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
      1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:22.877 1:22.752 1:22.207 18
      2 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:23.178 1:22.804 1:22.408 17
      3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:22.605 1:23.021 1:22.437 17
      4 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:23.247 1:22.730 1:22.645 18
      5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:23.163 1:22.948 1:22.730 18
      6 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:23.071 1:22.861 1:22.902 18
      7 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber 1:23.374 1:22.874 1:22.904 21
      8 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1:23.334 1:23.023 1:22.913 18
      9 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:23.373 1:22.997 1:23.072 18
      10 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 1:23.386 1:23.034 DNF 17
      11 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:23.254 1:23.041 11
      12 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:23.187 1:23.042 12
      13 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:23.265 1:23.077 14
      14 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:22.894 1:23.080 12
      15 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:23.316 1:23.097 15
      16 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:23.394 9
      17 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:23.416 6
      18 27 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber 1:23.450 9
      19 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:23.468 9
      20 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:23.890 9

      Source: F1.com

      Grand Prix Results -- SPOILER
      Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts.
      1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 58 1:26:07.469 25
      2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 58 +12.594s 18
      3 4 Lando Norris McLaren 58 +16.572s 15
      4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 58 +23.279s 12
      5 63 George Russell Mercedes 58 +48.563s 10
      6 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 58 +67.562s 8
      7 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 58 +69.876s 6
      8 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 58 +72.670s 4
      9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber 58 +79.014s 2
      10 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 58 +79.523s 1
      11 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber 58 +81.043s 0
      12 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 58 +81.166s 0
      13 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 58 +82.158s 0
      14 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 58 +83.794s 0
      15 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 58 +84.399s 0
      16 23 Alexander Albon Williams 58 +90.327s 0
      17 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 57 +1 lap 0
      18 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 57 +1 lap 0
      19 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 57 +1 lap 0
      20 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 57 +1 lap 0

      Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc // 1:26.725 on lap 45
      DOTD: Max Verstappen

      Source: F1.com


      2025 Final Drivers Standings -- SPOILER
      Pos. Driver Nationality Team Pts.
      1 Lando Norris GBR McLaren 423
      2 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 421
      3 Oscar Piastri AUS McLaren 410
      4 George Russell GBR Mercedes 319
      5 Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 242
      6 Lewis Hamilton GBR Ferrari 156
      7 Kimi Antonelli ITA Mercedes 150
      8 Alexander Albon THA Williams 73
      9 Carlos Sainz ESP Williams 64
      10 Fernando Alonso ESP Aston Martin 56
      11 Isack Hadjar FRA Racing Bulls 51
      12 Nico Hulkenberg GER Kick Sauber 49
      13 Oliver Bearman GBR Haas F1 Team 42
      14 Liam Lawson NZL Racing Bulls 38
      15 Esteban Ocon FRA Haas F1 Team 38
      16 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 34
      17 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Red Bull Racing 33
      18 Pierre Gasly FRA Alpine 22
      19 Gabriel Bortoleto BRA Kick Sauber 19
      20 Franco Colapinto ARG Alpine 0
      21 Jack Doohan AUS Alpine 0

      Source: F1.com

      2025 Final Constructors Standings -- SPOILER
      Pos. Team Pts.
      1 McLaren 833
      2 Mercedes 469
      3 Red Bull Racing 451
      4 Ferrari 398
      5 Williams 137
      6 Racing Bulls 92
      7 Aston Martin 89
      8 Haas F1 Team 79
      9 Kick Sauber 70
      10 Alpine 22

      Source: F1.com


      Next race:

      Pre-Season Testing 2026 - Sakhir
      Bahrain International Circuit
      February 11-13 & 18-20, 2026

      Australian Grand Prix
      Albert Park Circuit
      March 5-7, 2026

      See you all next year -- Enjoy the break!

      17 votes
    7. Day 7: Laboratories

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2025/day/7 Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it...

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2025/day/7

      Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it nicely, with the code collapsed by default inside an expandable section with syntax highlighting (you can replace python with any of the "short names" listed in this page of supported languages):

      <details>
      <summary>Part 1</summary>
      
      ```python
      Your code here.
      ```
      
      </details>
      
      6 votes
    8. Day 6: Trash Compactor

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2025/day/6 Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it...

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2025/day/6

      Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it nicely, with the code collapsed by default inside an expandable section with syntax highlighting (you can replace python with any of the "short names" listed in this page of supported languages):

      <details>
      <summary>Part 1</summary>
      
      ```python
      Your code here.
      ```
      
      </details>
      
      6 votes
    9. Bagels and shrinkflation

      A few years ago I started shopping at Lidl and came to really like their bakery. I noticed over time that their bagels became smaller. Smaller than the bagels at Giant supermarket, and two real...

      A few years ago I started shopping at Lidl and came to really like their bakery.

      I noticed over time that their bagels became smaller.

      Smaller than the bagels at Giant supermarket, and two real bagel shops I eventually found. Currently "everything" bagels at Lidl are 79 cents each. At the real bagel shops "everything" bagels are $2 each.

      The Lidl bagels are smaller, the "everything" bagels don't have salt or nearly as much. I like them better than the bagels from one of those two "real" bagel shops.

      Thankfully, the smaller Lidl bagels have fewer calories!

      I remember a few years ago I saw several articles about bagel places scooping out some of the bread for people watching their weight.

      Duh, they should have just made them smaller.

      The Lidl bagels are still large enough to make decent sandwiches.

      17 votes
    10. What did you do this week (and weekend)?

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do...

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!

      7 votes
    11. What creative projects have you been working on?

      This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on. Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just...

      This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on.

      Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just ideas.

      If you have any creative projects that you have been working on or want to eventually work on, this is a place for discussing those.

      5 votes
    12. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap

      The November 2025 Backlog Burner event is officially over! Over the month of November, 12 participants moved 155 games out of their backlogs. Congratulations to the following Bingo winners:...

      The November 2025 Backlog Burner event is officially over!

      Over the month of November, 12 participants moved 155 games out of their backlogs.

      Congratulations to the following Bingo winners:

      A big thank you to ALL who participated in the event, whether that was by playing games, joining in conversations, or reading people's posts here.

      As always, it has been an absolute blast doing this with everyone. I truly love this event. Thank you all.

      Use this topic to post your final bingo cards, give recaps of your games, and share any thoughts you have on the event itself.

      See you again for the next Backlog Burner in May 2026!


      Statistics

      • We averaged 12.9 games per person and 36.2 games per week.
      • There were 229 comments posted across 4 topics.
      • Across all 155 game titles with thousands of letters between them, there was only one letter Q (in Titan Quest).
      • We have now passed a cumulative 500 games played since the first Bingo-based Backlog Burner back in November 2023.

      Platforms

      Games were played on at least 16 different platforms.

      • iPad
      • Macbook Pro
      • Nintendo 3DS
      • Nintendo DS
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Nintendo Wii U
      • PC (Linux)
      • PC (Windows)
      • Playdate
      • PlayStation
      • PlayStation 2
      • PlayStation 4 (PS4 Pro)
      • Steam Deck
      • Steam Deck (RetroDECK)
      • Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom)

      Highlights

      Nobody sent me any highlights. 😭
      Let's just say this WHOLE event was a highlight! 😁🥰


      Full Game List (alphabetical)

      A

      B

      C

      D

      E

      F

      G

      H

      I

      J

      K

      L

      M

      N

      O

      P

      Q

      R

      S

      T

      U

      V

      W

      X

      Y

      Z

      Full Game List (by week)

      Week 1

      Week 2

      Week 3

      Week 4 + 5ish

      14 votes
    13. Finally making the jump to a custom router so I can have all my outgoing traffic over mullvad but that brings with it two questions for me

      Changing Mullvad server at router level Reddit is becoming increasingly more and more hostile to VPN connections to the point where I often get the "whoa pardner" error message and have to try 4-5...

      Changing Mullvad server at router level

      Reddit is becoming increasingly more and more hostile to VPN connections to the point where I often get the "whoa pardner" error message and have to try 4-5 different VPN servers on my desktop or phone before I finally get one to work with Reddit. Same thing sometimes with Google/YT, it keeps asking me to prove I am not a bot and a bit of experimentation with the servers gets me through.

      This makes me wonder, is it as easy to switch my Mullvad server on OPNsense? I get the sense from the YT videos I have watched, I have to effectively setup an entry for every Mullvad router as separate instance on my OPNsense' VPN WireGuard settings and toggle which instance is being used at the router level?
      I know I can technically have Mullvad on my router to hide all my traffic and then on all my devices that I use Reddit on, I can additionally have Mullvad on them too and play with the servers I am connected to on my device specifically until I find one that works but I am curious what the workflow is if I choose to do all my Mullvad related configs at the router level.

      Making custom block?

      I have a love-hate relationship with Reddit. On one hand, I can't deny that certain subreddits are useful as someone in tech, but I also can't deny that certain subs are just a time-sink and some subs are just toxic (looking at you AITA). I can often prevent myself from browsing the time-sink/toxic ones but sometimes I lose myself in them and I am in search of a way to block them via Mullvad at my router. Obviously a DNS-block won't work if I want to block reddit.com (the home page) and certain specific subreddits but leave any other tech related subreddits open for me to read so the next best thing I assume is some kind of firewall? But I don't know if such a firewall exists that can basically start doing regex on a URL to see if it should be accessible from within the network? Which makes me wonder if I can create my own firewall but I don't even know the first step, as in would this be something that integrates with OPNsense, or a stand-alone program I have to create myself? I know Python, Java and have some basic knowledge of C++ but don't even know if those are the language I need to know to create such a filter or if the filter I am looking for is even possible? Any and all pointers welcome.

      12 votes
    14. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      6 votes
    15. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's...

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's interesting about it? Are you having trouble with anything?

      19 votes
    16. Fitness Weekly Discussion

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?

      9 votes
    17. [SOLVED] USB hub with a detachable cable?

      My life story before the recipe. Been working on cable managing my desk, and figured that mounting a USB hub behind my monitor would be an easy way to keep some ports in reach without them being...
      My life story before the recipe.

      Been working on cable managing my desk, and figured that mounting a USB hub behind my monitor would be an easy way to keep some ports in reach without them being on my desk.

      I don't need anything fancy, just a couple usb ports. I thought it'd be pretty straightforward to find a cheap hub, that either had a long integrated cable or let me bring my own to route from my monitor to my desktop.

      Boy was I wrong.

      It seems that the vast majority of USB hubs have integrated cables, and those cables are super short. Detachable cables seem to only become common above my budget (~$50), and also include a bunch of features I don't need (charging, networking, display out, etc...).

      "but /u/zoroa, why not just grab the first hub you see, a usb extender, and call it a day?" As far as I understand, USB-C male to USB-C female cables aren't compliant with the USB standard and can potentially cause issues. My google-fu isn't good enough to tell whether the same applies to USB-A male to USB-A female cables, so I'm just assuming that they are also non-compliant.

      I'm looking for a USB hub that:

      • Has at least 4 usb ports
      • The USB ports are all along the same edge of the device. (For easy access even when the hub is behind my monitor)
      • Can be bus-powered (i.e. doesn't need to be plugged into an outlet)
      • Has a detachable cable for the connection from the hub to my computer

      It'd also be nice if it:

      • Was USB 3.0
      • Cost less than $50 USD
      • Had a mix of USB-A and USB-C
      • Didn't look ugly

      I've spent a couple hours looking, and the only hub I've found that hits my hard requirements the 4 port and 7 port variants of a hub from StarTech.com . I was curious if anyone was aware of anything better in this price range, before I just pull the trigger.

      17 votes
    18. Formula 1 2025 Final Race Predictions?

      Happy Friday -- It's the final race weekend of the 2025 season. McLaren captured the WCC races ago, but the WDC is still up for grabs between Oscar Piastri (392pts), Lando Norris (408pts), and Max...

      Happy Friday -- It's the final race weekend of the 2025 season. McLaren captured the WCC races ago, but the WDC is still up for grabs between Oscar Piastri (392pts), Lando Norris (408pts), and Max Verstappen (396pts).

      Who do you think will take it home?

      Any other predictions about what will happen in Abu Dhabi? Who will win Formula 1.5 this weekend? Will we get a replay of AD 2021? Will Michael Masi be revealed at the last moment to the Race Director? Will Yuki say "Screw Redbull!" and bin it into Max? Will Max say "Screw Redbull!" and just drive off into the desert sunset? Will Kimi channel his inner Bottas and have a 5-day pit stop? Will Alonso take P1 on Sunday?

      All takes -- serious and unhinged -- welcome.

      13 votes
    19. What have you been listening to this week?

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as...

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

      Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

      You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

      http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

      Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

      6 votes
    20. Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 7

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week! Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle...

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week!

      Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle are most worth my attention?”

      Rules:

      • No grey market sales
      • No affiliate links

      If posting a sale, it is strongly encouraged that you share why you think the available game/games are worthwhile.


      All previous Save Point topics

      If you don’t want to see threads in this series, add save point to your personal tag filters.

      4 votes
    21. Do you feel like you’ve had many lives so far? Why, why not? Which?

      I’ve been mulling over this for the past few weeks. Even though I haven’t drastically changed lives over the course of my lifetime, I still feel like I’ve had eras: As a young adult in the UK and...

      I’ve been mulling over this for the past few weeks.

      Even though I haven’t drastically changed lives over the course of my lifetime, I still feel like I’ve had eras:

      • As a young adult in the UK and around the world, figuring things out
      • As a student in Canada
      • As an employee in another province
      • And now as an independent consultant in Switzerland and France

      Although I still live a comfortable western lifestyle, I do feel these different eras are akin to different lives. 18 year old me wouldn’t guess what 30 or 40 year old me became. Not only professionally but also emotionally and day to day.

      To delineate my eras, I consider career/professional matters but also outlook on life, lessons learnt, relationships, country/city of résidence (or lack thereof).

      Do you have a similar feeling? Why or why not? And what do you consider you life or lives to have been so far?

      32 votes