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.
TW: AI discussion.
Recently, things have been getting rather crazy with AI to the point that I think many are being forced to reckon with its potential. It has been demonstrated that this technology is capable of solving things like millennium math problems, which has drawn response from many fields medalists. There have been very public instances of big tech losing control of their experiments. Many top researchers are expressing discomfort. Now, of course you could dismiss this all as marketing but I personally think that would be a bit of wishful thinking.
I would like to have an open discussion about the current moment in time. Therefore, I ask you, people of tildes, where do you think we are and where do we go from here? Please feel free to pull out your crystal ball and speculate wildly. Or, please feel free to call it all bunk. I just want to hear your opinion.
For me personally, I have shared my opinion many times before. It is a rather pessimistic one.
I recognize that this is a heated topic, and I would like to request that even if you disagree with someone, that we treat each other with respect and kindness. Thanks.
What do you guys think about the anime?
I thought it was excellent. The art is impeccable and the historical matters were handled with great care. Studio Saru is on fire lately.
and how it relates to their suffering due to conquests by the Mongols.
On the one hand, what they did to her family was a justifiable reason for hatred and for her wanting to never acknowledge their goodwill, which was built on the bloodshed of her own people to begin with.
It's interesting how except for the first few episodes where the attrocity of the Mongol was shown explicitly, the latter episodes mostly portrayed the Mongol people in good light and any act of cruelty only implied (e.g. Ogedei was shown looking sorrowful during the subjugation of Merkit's uprising but not how he killed them, he was constantly forgiving of Toregene but the fact that they had a son despite her open contempt suggested it was likely forced). This puts us in their shoes regarding how tempting it is to forget about the horrible past and just move on.
On the other hand, the story also shows how her quest for vengance might be misguided, fueled more by tribalism than justice. She ignored any kindness the people around showed her and considered all Mongolian as enemy. She thought of the suffering that the Jin people will suffer in Tului's conquest and was willing to ignore it because they're not on her side ("to them she's just another Mongol").
She was self-assured that her version of knowledge is correct (the debate about the cause of star movement with Ogedei, an excellent scene) and thus maybe be oblivious to the fault of her own side. It was hinted that Zumurrud (another slave in the old Fatima's household) might have been forcefully taken from her previous home and had been suffering during her time there as well, but Sitara was likely too young to notice.
So does the show wants to say revenge is bad and one should ignore wrongdoings in the past, or is it that revenge is fine even when not everyone affected is a bad person? My interpretation is that Sitara was tragic character born out of horrible circumstances.
In the beginning the show made a point about how pursuing knowledge is a path toward figuring out the right thing, and how inspired she was by the idea. But during her time in Mongolia, we saw her constantly suppressing her desire to learn about the new culture in order to keep her hatred alive. This was a flaw in her character, but it was a flaw born out of the trauma caused by the Mongols when they violently subjugated her people.
Sitara's sense of loyalty was also a bit warped as well, she saw her quest as doing right by her master Fatima as a slave, despite how in the final moment Fatima already acknowledged Sitara as her daughter.
We see how lonely and miserable Sitara and Toregene were by insisting on holding onto their grudge, but Khulan who resigned to her new life was also not happy either, so maybe that was not something they could have chosen.
Earlier during its run there were complaints that the show romanticized slavery but I don't think that's the case, the critiques was there just unstated.
Very sorry of this is in the wrong group (or if it doesn't fit on Tildes), feel free to move or remove it if needed!
Anyway, I'm planning to import a kei truck to the US. I think I've got an idea of most of what I need to do. I found Mitsui Co. Ltd. and they seem to have decent review and people say they're helpful, and I've read a bit about finding a customs broker to handle that part of things for me, but the thing I'm specifically wondering about is... what's the process of actually picking up the vehicle? I'd likely import to the Port of Galveston, and it looks like I either need a TWIC card or a TWIC escort. I wouldn't mind getting a TWIC card, but would my girlfriend need one too if she was going to drive me? Would she be able to just drop me off and I like... walk in? If she doesn't get one but I do? Otherwise, if we just go with an escort, does anyone know how much that sort of thing costs? Do I have to pre-plan it or can I just show up on the Port with all the paperwork and stuff I need and they'll have escorts ready that I can pay for?