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    1. Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month!

      ~games Text 1569 words
      It's almost time... ...for another Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason). The Backlog Burner for November 2025...

      It's almost time...

      ...for another Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason).

      The Backlog Burner for November 2025 will officially begin in two days on November 1st.

      If you're new to the Backlog Burner, check out our previous events to get an idea of what's going on:

      Backlog Bingo is back (of course) and better than ever!

      If you participated last time, clear your old card and start fresh with a new one. If you're new to the event, click the link above to generate your card (if you want to -- playing a bingo card is NOT required to participate).

      New Category List

      We've got Flux for those of you that like to get specific with their cards.
      We've got Flow for those of you that like a bit of wiggle room.
      We've got Free for those of you that take the "anything goes" approach.

      And now, our newest addition: Form

      This set is a list of genres, letting you fill your bingo card with God game, Tactical RPG, Visual novel and 89 other choices! Go for the bingo of your choice, as long as your backlog has the game types to fulfill it...

      New Site Features

      u/Wes, coding wizard that he is, has added some incredible new features to the site:

      • AI Integration: Why rely on a boring set of predetermined, carefully curated, energy efficient categories when you can instead harness the unlimited cognitive power and water usage of an AI? Use Bingie, our new Bingo companion. It can not only set up a card to your liking, but it can actually play the games for you! Trained on millions of hours of League of Legends matches, Bingie is ready to smugly gloat when it wins for you and get shockingly, offensively salty when it loses. Why game yourself this month? Have Bingie do it for you.

      • Blockchain Babies: Think Beanie Babies, but digital. No, even digitaler than that. We've decided to extend you an exclusive offer to join us on this journey. Just let us know how many Blockchain Babies we can put you down for. Our initial offer begins with a limited edition of our most popular baby: Doomscrolling Dolphin! You'd better rush if you still want to get in on the ground floor of this growing empire. Blockchain Babies: they put the fun in non-fungible.

      • Deception: What do you do when the site is already beautifully functional and it doesn't need any updates? You lie about it in hopes of attracting investment money by using key buzzwords like "AI integration" and "blockchain." We've incorporated these lies directly into our changelog by leveraging cross-functional bandwidth to verify ecosystem stability and ensure stakeholder alignment. Our holistic ideation sessions empower dynamic pivoting and scalable content delivery to future-proof our market positioning while streamlining KPIs and deliverables.

      Backlog Bingo: we blackout the competition.

      In all seriousness, Wes didn't need to do much with the site because it's already pretty much perfect! No major updates this time, but everything from last time is still there. It's still wonderfully functional, and still completely private! All data is stored only on your device.

      Of course, with that in mind, I'll be using another seeded card this time, on the off chance that I end up wiping my computer again.

      Shameless Cross-Promotion

      ATTENTION ALL CGA PARTICIPANTS: The Backlog Burner event and our Colossal Game Adventure are not only cross-compatible, they are in fact symbiotic. CGA puts games on your backlog; BB takes them away! Beautiful? Or devious...

      This month CGA is having its first Arcade Special with a collection of five different PlayStation oddities.

      Hmmm, five games all together? That seems like the perfect lineup for a Bingo (if you get lucky with your card, that is). It's almost like it's the perfect time for CGA folks to hop on the Backlog Burner train! :D

      Notification List

      If you are interested in participating in the Backlog Burner, please comment in this topic. Anyone commenting/replying here will automatically be added to a notification list for the Backlog Burner, unless you specify otherwise.

      Start Planning (or Playing)

      Technically the event starts in two days, so you have time to roll your cards (if you're playing Bingo) and plan out what you'd like to play for the month. That said, if you're eager to jump right in, and start early, I certainly won't stop you!

      Let's get ready to burn through these backlogs!

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will delete your card. You can use the export feature to make backups or move your card between devices.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Settings button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      The new Free list defaults to having this space turned off. Because you already have full freedom in how you fill the squares, having a free space is redundant (though if you miss it or just like the aesthetics, you can certainly turn it back on!).

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      22 votes

    6. Starter comments on Tildes?

      ~tildes Ask
      I get a lot out of browsing Tildes and all the conversations here. This is in keeping with the Tildes philosophy of high-quality content and conversation. In the spirit of quality discussion,...

      I get a lot out of browsing Tildes and all the conversations here. This is in keeping with the Tildes philosophy of high-quality content and conversation.

      In the spirit of quality discussion, context is everything and reference points matter. I have found my own thoughts nudged many times here, and often the comments and points of view lend entirely new perspective to the content (and are sometimes more interesting).

      While I appreciate the discussions, there are often links to an article, a video, a blog, or anything really, with no context and little description.

      So in the spirit of conversation, I'm asking if there could be "conversation starter" comments for posted links. I'd like to know why this video or that blog is different from just randomly finding some link online. Why is this link on Tildes? What makes it interesting or important? What are we talking about? Where is the quality conversation?

      Is that too much, or would that be reasonable? Thoughts?

      33 votes

    9. What is your 'Subway Take'?

      ~talk Ask
      For those who are unfamiliar, Subway Takes is a popular short form internet talk show "in which the interviewees present and defend a unique or controversial opinion, called a 'take'" Takes are...

      For those who are unfamiliar, Subway Takes is a popular short form internet talk show "in which the interviewees present and defend a unique or controversial opinion, called a 'take'" Takes are usually halfbaked and/or tongue-in-cheek. Some popular examples include:

      There are too many states in America

      Everybody in New York has rich parents or is selling drugs

      Spirit Airlines does not deserve the hate

      Italians became white after 9/11

      So what's your take?

      61 votes

    17. Honk your horn

      ~health.mental Ask (survey)
      After a particularly grueling and frustrating week at work, I was driving home from picking up my daughter from school, and there were several different honking exchanges at this one stoplight....

      After a particularly grueling and frustrating week at work, I was driving home from picking up my daughter from school, and there were several different honking exchanges at this one stoplight. This is Pittsburgh, which is more midwest than east coast, so I rarely hear anyone honk, and almost never the sustained angry honks I was hearing. I thought, "They must be having the kind of week I'm having."

      A bit later, I found myself alone on the road, no other cars visible either way. I thought, maybe I could honk. So I did. A nice long one. And it felt very good. I did it again a bit later. Still cathartic. I finally had to stop because my 10 year old was going to die of embarrassment.

      So that's my recommendation. Get out there and let out a big honk. Not at anyone, not road rage, just let loose a little.

      What are your other outlets for relieving stress?

      42 votes

    24. Do you have a favorite setting shared amongst multiple authors?

      ~books Ask (survey)
      When I was a kid, I remember going to a book store with my Mom and asking for a recommendation from the clerk there for something in the fantasy genre. He kindly pointed me to the Dark Elf trilogy...

      When I was a kid, I remember going to a book store with my Mom and asking for a recommendation from the clerk there for something in the fantasy genre. He kindly pointed me to the Dark Elf trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. I noticed that it had a Forgotten Realms logo on the cover, and when I went back to the store I noticed other books with that logo as well. That was my introduction to a setting that is shared between authors who can write stories in the same universe.

      On the smaller end, there are settings where 2 (or a few) authors collaborate (like the Malazan universe), while on the larger side of things you have settings with dozens to potentially hundreds of authors (like Warhammer 40k, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc).

      Some quick questions I thought of that might be interesting below, but please feel free to share anything you'd like about this topic!

      • What was the first shared setting you read books in?
      • Do you have a favorite shared literary setting?
      • Do you mind the varying quality of the books in shared settings?
      • Do you find yourself more likely to read a book in this shared setting compared to a book outside the setting?
      • Are there any books in that setting that you don't recommend people read?
      22 votes

    27. TV Tuesdays Free Talk

      ~tv Ask (survey)
      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows 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.

      5 votes

    31. Colossal Game Adventure Schedule: September 2025 - March 2026

      ~games Text 799 words
      Schedule There was a three-way tie for 5th, so instead of scheduling the next 6 months, I scheduled 7. Bonus month! Month Game Host September 2025 The Last Express u/CannibalisticApple October...

      Schedule

      There was a three-way tie for 5th, so instead of scheduling the next 6 months, I scheduled 7. Bonus month!

      Month Game Host
      September 2025 The Last Express u/CannibalisticApple
      October 2025 Chrono Trigger u/ali
      November 2025 Arcade Special: Playstation WHAT?
      Incredible Crisis
      Irritating Stick
      PaRappa the Rapper 2
      Pepsiman
      Vib-Ribbon      		 u/Lapbunny
      December 2025 The Secret of Monkey Island u/balooga
      January 2026 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker u/datavoid
      February 2026 Racing Lagoon u/Kawa
      March 2026 Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru
      (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)      		 u/J-Chiptunator

      @CannibalisticApple will be hosting her nomination, The Last Express, for our first month. If you're interested in hosting a month, see the Hosting section below.

      Also, I selfishly scheduled PlayStation WHAT? during the Backlog Burner so I can use those games in my Bingo Card. :D

      For the rest, I tried to create variety in the schedule so that we weren't playing the same systems or genres back-to-back.

      Discussion Topics

      Each month will have two discussion topics:

      • "Insert Cartridge" - 1st of the month
      • "Remove Cartridge" - 20th of the month

      Insert Cartridge topics are primarily for getting the game set up and running. Remove Cartridge topics are primarily for reflecting on the game once you've played it. However, the game itself and anything else related to it can be discussed in either one.

      Hosting

      Each month, the discussion topics will be posted by a different "host" who will act as the emcee for that month.

      Hosting is not required, but it is encouraged that people host months for games that they are either already very familiar with or that they are strongly interested in playing.

      People who nominated a game will be given preference for hosting, otherwise it will be given to whomever claims it first.

      Required Hosting Responsibilities
      • Editing the templates for the month's "Insert Cartridge" and "Remove Cartridge" topics.
      • Posting the month's "Insert Cartridge" and "Remove cartridge topics.
      Optional Hosting Responsibilities
      • Talking up the game.
      • Giving tips/tricks/guides/cheats.
      • Sharing your own thoughts/memories/reflections.
      • Asking questions.
      • Anything else you feel like doing (e.g. setting up a multiplayer tournament, making game-related memes, sharing fun trivia, etc.)

      If you would like to host a month, let me know which one and I will add you to the schedule.

      Before your month begins, I will send you a "Hosting Package" featuring templates that you can edit to your liking.

      If no one claims a month, I will host it as a fallback.

      Voting Results

      The top 6 games from the voting round were chosen to be played.

      Of the remaining games:

      • The top 50% will advance to the next round. They will start the next round with a base score of 70% of their vote totals.
      • The bottom 50% will be removed from the list.

      Removed games will be able to be re-nominated in future rounds if someone chooses to do so.

      Tally List
      Game Votes Status Rollover Votes
      Chrono Trigger 55 Won
      The Secret of Monkey Island 47 Won
      The Last Express 40 Won
      PlayStation WHAT? 38 Won
      Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) 34 Won
      Racing Lagoon 34 Won
      The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 34 Won
      Back in a Flash 32 Advances 22
      Sid Meier’s Pirates 30 Advances 21
      Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 29 Advances 20
      Another World 27 Advances 19
      Metroid Prime 27 Advances 19
      Descent 25 Advances 18
      Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 24 Advances 17
      StarTropics 22 Advances 15
      Behind the Wheel 21 Advances 15
      Crystalis 21 Advances 15
      The Colonel’s Bequest 21 Advances 15
      Threads of Fate 21 Advances 15
      Beneath a Steel Sky 21 Advances 15
      Metroid 20 Advances 14
      Scroll Lock-on 20 Advances 14
      Tetris 19 Advances 13
      Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist 18 Advances 13
      Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater 2 18 Advances 13
      JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future 17 Advances 12
      Lode Runner 17 Advances 12
      The Grue That Binds 17 Advances 12
      The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 17 Advances 12
      Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden - Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa 16 Eliminated
      ActRaiser 15 Eliminated
      Resident Evil 15 Eliminated
      Sid Meier’s Covert Action 15 Eliminated
      Mr. Defaxxonobbleoid 14 Eliminated
      Sam & Max: Hit the Road 12 Eliminated
      Fighters Megamix 11 Eliminated
      Seaman 11 Eliminated
      Burnout 3: Takedown 10 Eliminated
      Duke Nukem 3D 10 Eliminated
      rOGuelikes 10 Eliminated
      Carmageddon 9 Eliminated
      Uplink 9 Eliminated
      Populous 8 Eliminated
      Hop Skip Jump 7 Eliminated
      Fixated on Fixed Screen Shooters 6 Eliminated
      The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening 6 Eliminated
      Lord Monarch 5 Eliminated
      The Way 5 Eliminated
      Recursive Repertoires 4 Eliminated
      Super Castlevania IV 2 Eliminated
      Star Wars: TIE Fighter 1 Eliminated
      38 votes

    32. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      ~comp Ask (survey)
      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?

      10 votes

    35. Playing with words

      ~creative Ask (survey)
      The other day I realised I should have used a disclaimer on a comment. It is a comment that is supposed to be light hearted and fun so I started to amuse myself in a way that I haven't done in...

      The other day I realised I should have used a disclaimer on a comment.

      It is a comment that is supposed to be light hearted and fun so I started to amuse myself in a way that I haven't done in quite some time.

      I've "always" enjoyed breaking down words (preferably in the "wrong" place), finding synonyms or sound-a-likes or second meanings and their synonyms or sound-a-likes or second meanings, etc, etc...

      So I would like to invite you to build on my example below, bring your own examples or tell us about ways that you play with words.

      Example:

      American pancake **disclaimer** -> disc + *lamer" -> pancake + *un-cool" -> pancake + *hot* -> pancake + *rising* = American pancake
      10 votes

    36. Escaped monkeys and the post truth era

      ~talk Ask
      Its 2am and I should be asleep so I'm sorry if this is maybe just a weird midnight rant. Today I saw a news article on the other site about aggressive monkeys with covid and herpes escaping a...

      Its 2am and I should be asleep so I'm sorry if this is maybe just a weird midnight rant.

      Today I saw a news article on the other site about aggressive monkeys with covid and herpes escaping a crashed semi truck.

      My first reaction was "is this headline a joke" and I couldn't tell. Then I looked at the source (action news 5 or channel 5 action news, or... something) and even opened the page to have a look for clues of it being fake and without digging deeper I just couldn't tell if it was a legitimate news site or not. So I read the (short) article and looked for clues and it sounded probably legitimate. There was a photo of the scene with a monkey at the rear of a trailer but af this point I can't instantly spot AI images and who knows if it isn't just an old photo. Then I go to the reddit comment and they're parroting additional "facts" but nothing that felt substantial.

      I felt very struck by the feeling that I don't know if I can trust any information online unless it's REALLY from a trusted source, and I'm not really sure what sources I can trust anymore.

      Is this just me? Have you felt a significant change in the last few months? AI is playing a big part in my distrust, but Im also seeing echo chambers somehow get even worse.

      Also, it found out later that the monkeys weren't knfected with a bunch of viruses, it was some sort of miss-communication.

      26 votes

    42. What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on?

      ~talk Ask
      A wizard has cursed you with billions of dollars! Why is that a curse? Because unless you spend it immediately* on something ridiculous** you'll become like the worst, asshole-iest billionaire you...

      A wizard has cursed you with billions of dollars! Why is that a curse? Because unless you spend it immediately* on something ridiculous** you'll become like the worst, asshole-iest billionaire you can think of. (Fill in your own blank).

      Saving the world is out, philanthropy is out (unless it's utterly ridiculous), clever tricks to make the world better by finding a loophole and trying to outwit the wizard's curse are out.

      If you try something that could be started with an "um actually" 🤓☝️you end up naming all your children and companies with the same letter before the end of the day, got it? Spirit of the rules!
      I'm watching you. ತ⁠_⁠ʖ⁠ತ

      *A project might take time but you're going all in on it, cash up front
      ** The point is that it's pointless. It might be accidentally useful but it's pointless.

      ETA: I have been unjustly rate limited and will be replying when I can. Please take this opportunity to reconsider your charitable works and other attempts at public good and get back to airships and Animorphs movies. Ty

      73 votes

    47. Is there a postman alternative without the bloat?

      ~tech Ask (recommendations)
      use postman quite a bit at work as a backend developer and the recent updates have added alot more bloatware to the program. All I want is a simple program that does HTTP requests and not get...

      use postman quite a bit at work as a backend developer and the recent updates have added alot more bloatware to the program.

      All I want is a simple program that does HTTP requests and not get account promo and collections and their cloud stuff shoved down my throat.

      And my work computer is maintained by a central system so I can't freeze my Postman application at a past level, it auto-updates.

      So I am wondering if there is a good alternative that just does HTTP requests and nothing else?

      28 votes