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34 votes
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Anyone else a bit unnerved by the number of visible satellites?
I have always know there are satellites going around the earth, but more often that not now when I casually inspect the night sky I see at least one moving satellite. It’s obvious and no need for...
I have always know there are satellites going around the earth, but more often that not now when I casually inspect the night sky I see at least one moving satellite. It’s obvious and no need for any telescope. It feels so different than when I was younger: instead of a sense of wonder at the scale of the universe and nature, it’s a constant reminder of the pervasiveness of humanity’s technology and scope for surveillance.
I don’t really have a specific point from this post other than to express a sorrow for the loss of a night sky from my youth.
21 votes -
May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion
The blaze has officially ignited! (and May has officially mellowed, for those going the chill route) Quicklink: Backlog Bingo Etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the...
The blaze has officially ignited!
(and May has officially mellowed, for those going the chill route)
- Quicklink: Backlog Bingo
Etiquette:
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It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week.
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It is also fine to respond to your own posts.
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If you are playing Backlog Bingo, you can share your table either by markdown or through screenshots.
Gameplay guidelines:
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Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.
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Playing Bingo is optional and not required.
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You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.
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
Settingsbutton in the header to access your card settings. Then click theResetbutton, 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, andHas romanceable charactersall 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
Freelist 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!
14 votes -
Why so many people are going "no contact" with their parents
52 votes -
The Web Design Museum released forty-four classic Cartoon Network Flash games from the early 2000s, now playable in the browser
5 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.
23 votes -
Tildes Minecraft Weekly
Server host: tildes.nore.gg (Running Java 1.21.11) Verification site: https://tildes.nore.gg BlueMap: https://tildes.nore.gg/map/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TildesMC Plugins and Data Packs...
Server host:
tildes.nore.gg(Running Java 1.21.11)
Verification site: https://tildes.nore.gg
BlueMap: https://tildes.nore.gg/map/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TildesMCPlugins and Data Packs
Data Packs:- Terralith - Overworld terrain upgrade
- Nullscape - End terrain upgrade
- Age Lock [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Armor Statues [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Bat Membranes [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Cauldron Concrete [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Cauldron Mud [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Custom Nether Portals [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Husks Drop Sand [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Mini Blocks [Vanilla Tweaks]
- More Mob Heads [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Player Head Drops [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Silence Mobs [Vanilla Tweaks]
- Wandering Trades [Vanilla Tweaks]
Plugins:
- BlueMap - Provides a live 3D rendering of the game world
- Clickable Links - Makes http URLs in chat clickable (only for registered players)
- CoreProtect - Records all block/container/mob changes (Anyone can look up changes with
/co inspect) - DebugStick - Gives the ability to craft debug sticks in survival
- DistantHorizons - Provides distant LOD map data to players running the client mod
- EasyArmorStands - GUI for editing armor stands
- Hexnicks - Enables Tildes usernames to be displayed
- hsrails - Allows for 4x speed rail travel
- LuckPerms - Locks down unregistered users
- Otherside - Fix for mob farms involving Nether portals
- Rapid Leaf Decay - Increases the speed of leaf decay by 10x
- WorldEdit - Used for occasional admin stuff
- WorldGuard - Prevents unregistered users from changing anything in the world
The server operates on a soft whitelist. Anyone can log in and walk around, but you need a Tildes account to gain build access.
We recommend you install our mod web-chat so that you can chat while in your web browser. It turns the server into an old-school chat room.
<- Previous Thread
11 votes -
The engineering of copper extraction
2 votes -
Tildes Survey #4: What languages can you speak?
Submit your response here! Direct link: https://survey.tildes.community/form/what-languages-can-you-speak-4 This survey closes on May 17, 2026 at 10:00 UTC The results will be published on May 17...
Submit your response here!
- Direct link: https://survey.tildes.community/form/what-languages-can-you-speak-4
- This survey closes on May 17, 2026 at 10:00 UTC
- The results will be published on May 17 shortly after the survey has closed. I'll edit this topic and post a comment about it!
The current plans for questions that will be asked in the coming weeks are as follows:
Question Survey opens Survey closes How old are you? 2026-04-19 18:00 UTC2026-04-26 10:00 UTCWhat country do you live in? 2026-04-26 18:00 UTC2026-05-03 10:00 UTCWhat country were you born in? 2026-05-03 18:00 UTC2026-05-10 10:00 UTCWhat languages can you speak? 2026-05-10 18:00 UTC 2026-05-17 10:00 UTC Surveys retrospective + Vote for the next 4 surveys 2026-05-17 18:00 UTC 2026-05-24 10:00 UTC Please submit your ideas for questions here! Even if they've been submitted already by someone else. All input is valuable! You can view all submitted questions on this dashboard.
Thank you all for participating!
20 votes -
May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion
Week 2 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...
Week 2 has begun!
Post your current bingo cards.
Continue updating us on your games!If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.Quick links:
Week 1 Recap
⚔️🛡️ Battle lines have been drawn. 🛡️⚔️
Team Mellow
Calm, easygoing, relaxed (<3 games played this week)
- u/CannibalisticApple
- u/dannydotcafe
- u/Durinthal
- u/J-Chiptunator
- u/JCPhoenix
- u/ShroudedScribe
- u/SingedFrostLantern
- u/Wes
Team Motivated
Driven, energized, results-oriented (≥3 games played this week)
Who will come out on top? Which team will reign supreme? What metric will we even use to determine what counts as a win? STAY TUNED.
11 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 24 games out of their backlogs!
Game list:
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Aris Arcanum
- Assault on Proxima
- AtmaSphere
- Blue Maiden
- Death and Taxes
- DigDigDrill
- Donna: The Canine Quest
- FINAL FANTASY IV
- Hades
- Hatoful Boyfriend
- Marble Mayhem: Fragile Ball
- Not Tonight 2
- The Pedestrian
- Pokémon: Kanto Expansion Pak
- Polarity
- Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom
- Ravenswatch
- The Shapeshifting Detective
- shapez
- Strange Horticulture
- The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia
- Vartio
- Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom
14 votes -
Happy Birthday David Attenborough, 'the voice for nature,' turns 100
68 votes -
Buying a high-end PC for the first time - help me to doublecheck what I'm buying? Is 4k a bad idea with the specs?
I somehow have money I need to spend, more than I ever had, and where else to put them than where I spend most of my awake time. So for the first time ever I've decided to splurge on a PC that...
I somehow have money I need to spend, more than I ever had, and where else to put them than where I spend most of my awake time. So for the first time ever I've decided to splurge on a PC that isn't a low to medium budget one. For reference, I'm currently on a 10 year old 1070 GPU with a 1080p screen and the rest of my PC is either also 10 years old or at least 5 years old so it truly is time to upgrade.
It looks like it's 10-15% more expensive to self-build nowadays so what I'm about to pull the trigger on is a package/prebuilt deal. But I can still pick and choose (some) parts from this store. Here's the specs at the moment:
- GPU: ASUS Radeon RX 9070 XT Prime OC - 16GB GDDR6 RAM
This seems to be the most reasonable buy. The price is about 70% of Nvidia's equivalent in performance while the next stepup, a 5080, is more like 240% as expensive. I however got recommendations to get at least 5080 for good framerates in 4k gaming on high settings. I am currently on 144hz and have gotten used to about 100fps in most games, so ending up with like 50fps would suck.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Something I play a lot is WoW, and that is apparently a very CPU heavy game, so this one seems the best choice in terms of performance in that particular game even though I'm reading it's somewhat overkill for most other stuff.
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 - 32GB
I practically never multitask so getting only 16GB would have been fine I believe, and opened some room in my budget, however this is a limitation of the package deal and I cannot go lower than 32GB. Besides, this should be futureproof.
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Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING B650
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Storage: Kingston NV3 SSD - 1TB
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Case: DUTZO C740 Airflow Wood
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PSU: Corsair RMe Series RM850e (2025) - 850 Watt
Here's a link to the full specs and options to configure.
So.. is 4k a bad idea with this setup? Because I really want to.
I would probably settle for 1440p (widescreen even?) but I'm sure 4k would feel like such a much more massive upgrade. So if this build is not capable of 4k for newer modern highly demanding games, would downscaling in them look disappointing? If anyone has experience with that?
If I end up on 1440p, if anyone has experience with this part, what do movies and such look like? Would a 1080p download look strange and blurry being upscaled? And would a 2160p download look weird being downscaled?
I have also seen some posts about 4k being not worth it on account of just how tightly packed the pixels are - that unless it's a more than 30" screen, it's not even worth it? Any truth to that in you guys' experiences?
Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading!
26 votes -
Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars
70 votes -
Advice/Venting: My car was destroyed by hail
So we had baseball-sized hail suddenly come through my city a few days ago, and everyone at my work got to watch our cars get destroyed from the front windows. I opened a claim immediately after...
So we had baseball-sized hail suddenly come through my city a few days ago, and everyone at my work got to watch our cars get destroyed from the front windows. I opened a claim immediately after the hail stopped and could go take pictures, but still haven't heard anything other than that an agent was assigned.
City-wide, body shops are already talking about having a year-long backlog and having to triage repairs that don't affect immediate drivability. I've heard people talk about them being totaled already. Rental cars are hard to come by, because they not only have huge demand but had damage as well. The county is petitioning FEMA, because houses were damaged as well.
I'm just in a depressive waiting state, where I don't know how things will start to play out yet, with my undrivable car sitting at the office with trash bags taped over it while I work from home. And my old backup car (almost 20 years old), which was slated for one of the stepdaughters to receive once she gets her license, also had extensive damage making it unsafe to drive. My fiancée's car survived, being on the other side of town at the time, but she has a very busy schedule to the next few weeks.
I had the realization that every car I've ever bought myself was just destroyed, and I get fairly attached.
The Civic Sport Touring (2017), I still owe about $4000 on and expected to pay off this year. It's thoroughly dented across the whole body, with a completely shattered (to the point it's opaque) windshield, broken mirror assemblies, 2/3 cameras are probably broken, a tail light is broken down to the LED board, and the moonroof assembly appears to be bent and sagging slightly, probably from the roof and side parts being bashed so heavily. Not sure how much water got in during the ensuing torrential downpour.
Realistically, it being to totaled seems likely, given the cost of many of the parts. Which means I'm going to be stuck buying new, because used ones are a relative rarity (I jumped to buy mine when it showed up in stock) and there's barely a price difference these days.
I'm curious if anyone else here has had experiences with that sort of thing or knows what to expect.
41 votes -
‘It’s shameful’: New York’s elite lash out at Zohran Mamdani’s second-home tax
33 votes -
Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 3
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 pointto your personal tag filters.11 votes -
How democratic governments came to view VPNs as circumvention software that must be restricted
24 votes -
Di.gg AI preview
16 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.
5 votes -
Tildes Survey #3: What country were you born in? (Results)
Original post Submit your response here! Direct link: https://survey.tildes.community/form/what-country-were-you-born-in-3 This survey closes on May 10, 2026 at 10:00 UTC The results will be...
Original post
Submit your response here!
- Direct link: https://survey.tildes.community/form/what-country-were-you-born-in-3
- This survey closes on May 10, 2026 at 10:00 UTC
- The results will be published on May 10 shortly after the survey has closed. I'll edit this topic and post a comment about it!
The current plans for questions that will be asked in the coming weeks are as follows:
Question Survey opens Survey closes How old are you? 2026-04-19 18:00 UTC2026-04-26 10:00 UTCWhat country do you live in? 2026-04-26 18:00 UTC2026-05-03 10:00 UTCWhat country were you born in? 2026-05-03 18:00 UTC 2026-05-10 10:00 UTC What languages can you speak? 2026-05-10 18:00 UTC 2026-05-17 10:00 UTC Please submit your ideas for questions here! Even if they've been submitted already by someone else. All input is valuable! You can view all submitted questions on this dashboard.
Thank you all for participating!
The survey has been closed and the results are in!
Thank you to all the 174 people that responded! Check out the dashboard for the visualizations and a rough comparison with the previous survey! Here's a few quick stats:
- 41 distinct countries are represented!
- Spread across the following continents:
- America at 45.7%
- Europe at 39.9%
- Asia at 8.7%
- Oceania at 5.8%
- With the top 5 countries of most responses:
- United States at 36.2%
- United Kingdom at 8.6%
- Canada at 6.9%
- France at 4.0%
- Australia at 3.4%
- And the results for whether people were living in the country they were born in:
- Yes at 74.7%
- No at 23.0%
- No answer at 2.3%
- View the full results dashboard here
- If you have any ideas for vizualisations or stats I can add I'd love to hear them!
- ZIP download of the data
Thank you all again for participating! I hope to see you in the next survey. :)
38 votes -
Goldman Sachs flags Amazon and Alphabet for inflating S&P 500 earnings growth figures
38 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!10 votes -
What was the best job you ever had?
Earlier today we had a post about dream jobs, and that had me thinking, what was the best job you ever had? Why did you leave that job? Did you know it was the dream job while you were at that job...
Earlier today we had a post about dream jobs, and that had me thinking, what was the best job you ever had? Why did you leave that job? Did you know it was the dream job while you were at that job or did you only realize it years later?
33 votes