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29 votes
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When Richard Dawkins met Claude
16 votes -
How long would a society comprised of video game protagonists survive?
Inspired by a youtube video thumbnail I saw saying "Which Link would function the best in society?" I didn't watch the video, but that did get me thinking to how weird player characters can...
Inspired by a youtube video thumbnail I saw saying "Which Link would function the best in society?" I didn't watch the video, but that did get me thinking to how weird player characters can behave. You know, with all the walking into strangers' houses, constantly crouching and jumping while moving, breaking any containers we see in hopes of loot, using special powers for silly things... Destroying stuff just for the heck of it...
So! Here's my extended question: how long would a society comprised mainly of video game protagonists last? And I mean protagonists who behave the way players make them behave, not just how they're written by the story. And that includes still having all potential powers.
Can be based on specific past playthroughs, could just be generalizations of how they're typically played. How many protagonist characters could actually hold down proper jobs without getting fired? Who would be able to avoid causing heavy destruction in daily life? Or get arrested fastest?
How long would they be able to put up with other protagonists' weirdness before snapping and starting a city-wide battle?
16 votes -
Star Fox Direct shadow dropped right before premiere
26 votes -
Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets
This is the place for casual discussion about our pets. Photos are welcome, show us your pet(s) and tell us about them!
2 votes -
Nintendo raises prices for Switch, Switch 2 and NSO
33 votes -
Two months in, the Iran war has changed the global energy system forever
12 votes -
Railway solar project turns unused track space into energy
18 votes -
What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)
What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was...
What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.
If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!
4 votes -
Executive (dys)function flavors?
@RoyalHenOil's comment in another thread got me thinking, and I feel like it might be helpful for me to hear what other Tilderinos have to share about this. I've wondered for years if I might have...
@RoyalHenOil's comment in another thread got me thinking, and I feel like it might be helpful for me to hear what other Tilderinos have to share about this. I've wondered for years if I might have ADHD. Any time I've looked into it, it never seems like I check enough boxes for that to be an accurate label. But I've also gotten the impression that many psychological things like ADHD might be better understood as a spectrum (or even a region?), so lately I keep coming back to the possibility that I just have some other/related flavor of executive dysfunction. Or maybe I just haven't figured out how to "adult" properly yet for other reasons. I don't know, but it feels like being able to name the way my brain works would help things somehow.
I tried for hours to write up an explanation of my experiences, but I couldn't come up with anything that felt accurate and was a reasonable length, so the five-second version is this: The thing I keep coming across and identifying with is the "hyperfocus mode" that some people report. I enjoy this but also feel like it must have something to do with my struggles in some areas. I can prioritize tasks effectively plenty of the time, but I also can't at other times. If I used an Eisenhower matrix, things in the "important but not urgent" category would mostly be gathering dust (except for ones I happened to focus on). I don't really have any control over the "hyperfocus mode" and its target changes unpredictably.
There's an exhausting amount of nuance I could add to the above. I'd really love to hear from anyone who's had experience with any sort of divergent executive function that doesn't seem to fit into any of the currently available boxes we use to understand these things.
Addendum: I reread RoyalHenOil's comment just now and I think responding to it directly might be easier than writing out my own explanation from scratch, so I'll include that response here for anyone who feels like reading it.
Annotated comment
I'm more the hyperfocusing sort than the easily-distracted sort (I don't really experience boredom or anything resembling internal "chatter" that a lot of people with ADHD describe),
I do identify with this. I think there's some degree of "chatter" for me, though.
but it ultimately amounts to similar behavior: I have a hard time prioritizing.
I guess? Sometimes?
It feels like it should be easy to switch activities, but I just can't. It's like trying to move a paralyzed body part; you're firing all the right neurons, but nothing happens.
I'm not sure if I would describe it this way. This is definitely how it feels when trying to get out of bed if I'm really drowsy, but switching activities mostly doesn't feel like this. It can sometimes though.
When I'm focused on Task A but know I need to switch to Task B, I can't stop thinking about Task A. They're basically intrusive thoughts that aren't under my conscious control. Even if I do successfully pull myself away from Task A, I can barely do Task B because I'm still thinking about Task A — and I'm feeling frazzled the whole time.
Yeah, this is more or less true for me. It is possible for the hyperfocus to switch over to Task B eventually, but I don't feel like I have any control over that.
But if I just give [in] to the hyperfocus and devote myself to Task A until it's complete, I feel great. I'm in the zone. It's better than meditation.
So much yes. It's like the flow state I can get from practicing music, except it's easier to enter and not taxing to maintain.
My hyperfocus can be a good thing. It means that whatever Task A is, I can fully immerse myself in it and do it exceptionally well. (. . .) But I'm useless at anything that resembles multitasking because I end up obsessing over just one of the tasks (even if it's not that complex) and neglecting all the others.
Agree. Some of the best work I've done and most fun I've had has been while hyperfocusing. But when multitasking, I feel almost useless.
I did very well in school and I do very well in the workplace (so long as my supervisors make good use of me)
Same.
but my private life is a completely different matter. I have a hard time maintaining routines and establishing habits. I'm always neglecting the majority of household tasks and my personal needs; if I'm on a vacuuming kick, for example, the floor will be spotless, but everything else will be in shambles because all I can see is the floor.
Yes and no. Some routines/habits stick and others don't. I'm generally fine with chores, though most of them don't happen on a routine, they just get done when they need to get done, I guess.
One of the worst aspects of my hyperfocus is that it feeds into itself. For example, being sleep-deprived makes me far more likely to hyperfocus, and hyperfocusing makes me far more likely to experience insomnia. If I do break out of my hyperfocus tendencies, I can usually only maintain it for a week or so until, inevitably, something throws off the delicate balance.
You know, I don't think this had occurred to me, but that totally seems plausible. At the very least, I do know I end up in feedback loops where hyperfocusing on one thing leads to a new thing to hyperfocus on, so the need for variety that eventually kicks in to break me out is already satisfied by the new thing.
30 votes -
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?
13 votes -
What's something that you missed out on?
An event, a moment, an experience, etc. Can be big or small; significant or insignificant; serious or funny. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. You could be glad you missed out on something! What...
An event, a moment, an experience, etc.
Can be big or small; significant or insignificant; serious or funny.
It doesn't have to be a bad thing. You could be glad you missed out on something!
What did you miss out on?
How do you feel about it?33 votes -
Inspector Spacetime – People In The Video (2026)
3 votes -
Babylon 5 S01E10: "Believers" - Episode Discussion
9 votes -
Why so many people are going "no contact" with their parents
51 votes -
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?
3 votes -
The eye in your pocket
8 votes -
Woman covertly filmed for 'humiliating' social media content - then told to pay for removal
46 votes -
Kraken | Official trailer
8 votes -
Goldman Sachs flags Amazon and Alphabet for inflating S&P 500 earnings growth figures
32 votes -
‘The odds are not in our favour’: who sets the Doomsday Clock – and what can they tell us about the future of humanity?
5 votes -
Ars Asks: Share your shell and show us your tricked-out terminals
16 votes -
Norway doubles down on oil and gas production – energy minister says country has a ‘responsibility’ to address shortfalls caused by wars in Ukraine and Middle East
10 votes -
OpenAI's WebRTC problem
9 votes -
Serving a website on a Raspberry Pi Zero running entirely in RAM
14 votes -
Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller: This merger can, and should, be stopped
20 votes -
Tildes Book Club - Have you started Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov?
I've only just barely started. I'm looking forward to this one.
10 votes -
Teaching Claude why
15 votes -
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.
5 votes -
Humble Choice - May 2026
May 2026's Humble Choice is now available with the following seven Steam games and one Battle.net game. Steam Page OpenCritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB Diablo IVNote:...
May 2026's Humble Choice is now available with the following seven Steam games and one Battle.net game.
Steam Page OpenCritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB Diablo IV
Note: Battle.net key88 66 / 74 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance 89 90 / 95 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum Crysis 3 Remastered -- 86 / 88 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum Heroes of Hammerwatch II -- 71 / 84 Win 🟨 Playable 🎖️ Platinum Nordhold -- 69 / 85 Win, Mac 🟨 Playable ✅ Native Rogue Waters 81 63 / 77 Win 🟨 Playable 🎖️ Platinum Cubic Odyssey 65 81 / 75 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum Mini Settlers -- -- / 85 Win 🟨 Playable 🟨 Gold Does anyone have experience with any of the games and, if so, would you recommend them? Is there anything in here that you're particularly excited to play?
15 votes -
Di.gg AI preview
11 votes -
The PHP license, simplified
11 votes -
Stuff Your Earbuds hosted by RomanceAudiobookworms.com on May 8th and 9th
4 votes -
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 -
NixOS and secrets
11 votes -
Apple has reached a preliminary deal with Intel to make chips in the US
16 votes -
TV Tuesdays Free Talk
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.
7 votes -
Steam Controller: Reservations open May 8th
38 votes -
AI is breaking two vulnerability cultures
18 votes -
Behind the scenes hardening Firefox with Claude Mythos Preview
20 votes -
In a village in Norway, humans representing flora and fauna of all kinds meet to reimagine ‘nature-centric governance’
7 votes -
Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (May 2026)
This is a monthly thread for those who need it. Vent, share your experiences, ask for advice, talk about how you are doing. Let's make this a compassionate space for all who may need one.
21 votes -
Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like creative commons, opting in out and david attenborough. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven...
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like creative commons, opting in out and david attenborough. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was curious.
But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched
offbeatstories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!6 votes -
Steam Controller 2 sold out
On sale at 1PM EST, sold out by 1:30. Payment processing failing awfully. Any lucky tildos score one?
53 votes -
Artillery – Made In Hell (2026)
4 votes -
Allegaeon - To Carry My Grief Through Torpor and Silence (2022)
4 votes -
Tildes Gardening Group: Week 3/5/26
Welcome all to our fortnightly (ish) gardening group discussion! Feel free to discuss anything related to gardening, beginner or advanced, challenge or success. Ive moved it to a fortnightly...
Welcome all to our fortnightly (ish) gardening group discussion!
Feel free to discuss anything related to gardening, beginner or advanced, challenge or success.
Ive moved it to a fortnightly thread, as sometimes gardening can be a bit slooooowwww motion
10 votes -
What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
21 votes -
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!
4 votes -
The Ploopy Bean - an external four-button trackpoint
19 votes