0xSim's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
0xSim Link ParentWe have the same thing in French! The Académie Française, and it's basically a bunch of old elitist conservative white men that call themselves "les immortels" (I'm not even kidding) and none of...We have the same thing in French! The Académie Française, and it's basically a bunch of old elitist conservative white men that call themselves "les immortels" (I'm not even kidding) and none of them is a linguist. Their goal is to "contribute to the improvement and promotion of literature" so they spend most of their time banning words borrowed from other languages (mainly English), and substitute them with ridiculous alternatives. They're mocked by everyone, except other conservatives.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
0xSim (edited )LinkIt literally kills me when pedants point out that you should use "figuratively" instead of "literally". It's obvious from the context that I'm not literally dead. Try saying "I'm figuratively...It literally kills me when pedants point out that you should use "figuratively" instead of "literally".
- It's obvious from the context that I'm not literally dead.
- Try saying "I'm figuratively dead" without sounding like an absolute dork.
- It's an exaggeration to add emphasis, and "literally" isn't a sacred word that you can't use for that effect.
- Languages are living and evolving; dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive.
Speaking of China, it does not actively censor videogames that contain skeletons (or blood, or the other things that sound kinda ridiculous in 2025). Censoring rules are broad and left open to interpretation, and are applied on a case-by-case basis. What happens is that publishers self-censor as much as possible to stay on the "safe" side, avoid rework, and get approved asap.
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Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
0xSim LinkI genuinely don't understand why all 4:3 shows have to be cropped. Is it so hard to just (vertically) letterbox them and show black bars on the side? I wanted to watch the old Simpsons seasons:...I genuinely don't understand why all 4:3 shows have to be cropped. Is it so hard to just (vertically) letterbox them and show black bars on the side? I wanted to watch the old Simpsons seasons: they're cropped on Disney+, and they're also cropped on the pirated version I downloaded. It's becoming literally lost media.
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Comment on Horror games to play during October in ~games
0xSim LinkI'm not a fan of horror games (I like the mood but not the stressful situations), but I bought Mouthwashing on Steam. I'll probably try it this weekend. I also plan to buy Crow Country and/or Fear...I'm not a fan of horror games (I like the mood but not the stressful situations), but I bought Mouthwashing on Steam. I'll probably try it this weekend.
I also plan to buy Crow Country and/or Fear the Spotlight on Switch if they go on sale. I tried both demos and they looked good enough for me.
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Comment on Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor | Official version 1.0 launch trailer in ~games
0xSim Link ParentI've been playing since the initial release, and yes the early game definitely felt a bit tedious if you compare it to your average survivors-like. Instead of obliterating the enemies, you learn...I've been playing since the initial release, and yes the early game definitely felt a bit tedious if you compare it to your average survivors-like. Instead of obliterating the enemies, you learn to manage the crowd, navigate around it, and dig through walls. There's a big emphasis on movement.
It gets easier and much more enjoyable once you get a feel of it and find your favorite class. Also, if you played really early, the only available class was the scout, which is... my least favorite as it's IMO the most bland.
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentAlways. The only things that should go full blast are beverages.Always. The only things that should go full blast are beverages.
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Comment on Is Tildes protected from malicious actors, aka paid trolls, aka bots? in ~tildes
0xSim Link ParentFun fact: when AI uses them, em dashes don't have spaces before and after.Fun fact: when AI uses them, em dashes don't have spaces before and after.
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Comment on Dear Nintendo, please bring back the Wii Remote in ~games
0xSim LinkAside the fact that the infrared sensor would obviously make it impossible to play in portable mode, it was already half-obsolete when Nintendo released the Wiimote+ that had a gyroscope. The only...Aside the fact that the infrared sensor would obviously make it impossible to play in portable mode, it was already half-obsolete when Nintendo released the Wiimote+ that had a gyroscope. The only downside of it is that you need to recalibrate it once in a while to set its "neutral" state.
And honestly, if you want good controllers with a gyroscope, look at how Steam did it with the Steam Controller back in 2015, and now on the Steam Deck: the gyroscope can be triggered on demand, e.g. by putting your thumb on the stick or the trackpad, because having it active all the time is pretty terrible.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
0xSim LinkThe Slormancer I finally beat Adam Nostrus. I had to craft a bit more to focus on my build's strengths, and level up a Slorm Reaper that is stronger against elites, but I did it. Of all my life,...The Slormancer
I finally beat Adam Nostrus. I had to craft a bit more to focus on my build's strengths, and level up a Slorm Reaper that is stronger against elites, but I did it. Of all my life, it's certainly the boss that killed me the most times without me giving up. Because each time I failed, I knew what was wrong and what I could do to do better next time. Really my GOTY so far.
Now there's still more grind to do to beat the titular boss.
R.E.P.O.
You're a robot, exploring and looting cursed places of a post-apocalyptic world. Find as many valuables as possible, sell them, and try to not break them in the process, or get yourself killed by weird monsters. It's incredibly funny if you manage to get 4-6 people together. The proximity chat with the robots opening their mouth (like South Park Canadian characters) and their round eyes looking everywhere is awesome.
At 2-3 players, it's still great, but you're playing less recklessly because death is pretty punitive: you can only be revived when extracting valuables, which only happens 1-3 times per level. So you're alone waiting to get respawned, and/or the other player is alone trying to save you and get enough money to progress. There are a few mods that make it easier to resuscitate players, and IMO it's a necessity with a low player count.
I wouldn't recommend to play solo, as half the fun comes from the shit talking and the blunders that doom the team.
Peak
You're a group of boy-scouts, stranded on a beach, and you need to reach the peak of the island. Another great co-op game that offers something different, as you need to manage food and tools to find a path and climb to the top
I finally got some time to do an expedition with a friend. Despite the child-like art direction, this game is difficult and requires some dedication: we played for 1h45 straight and died at the beginning of the last biome. I'd love to play more of it, but you're forced to finish the expedition in one sitting, so that's some commitment. And if you all die, too bad.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
0xSim Link ParentI'd like to buy Abiotic Factor and play it in coop. Is it a game that is "one and done" (and if so, how long would it last?), or are there features that enhance replayability?I'd like to buy Abiotic Factor and play it in coop. Is it a game that is "one and done" (and if so, how long would it last?), or are there features that enhance replayability?
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Comment on Why language models hallucinate in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentBecause it boils down to 2 points: What are hallucinations and what causes them. I think everyone with minimal interest in LLMs in 2025 knows what they are. How to reduce them. And there's 0...Because it boils down to 2 points:
- What are hallucinations and what causes them. I think everyone with minimal interest in LLMs in 2025 knows what they are.
- How to reduce them. And there's 0 actual answer here.
I got nothing out of this article. It's written for people who don't know what are hallucinations, so if I were more familiar with the field, I'd still get nothing.
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Comment on Why language models hallucinate in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentThe problem, I think, is when you ask it to rate its answers, it will hallucinate that value as much as the rest of the answer. The confidence rating must be a metadata.The problem, I think, is when you ask it to rate its answers, it will hallucinate that value as much as the rest of the answer. The confidence rating must be a metadata.
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Comment on Why language models hallucinate in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentThe article does not explain what comes after that pre-training. Sure, water is wet I guess, but how does the LLM determine what is an error? Maybe there's a way, I'm no LLM expert, but there's...(You’re describing the pre-training task which is predicting the next token, but post-training involves higher-level considerations.)
The article does not explain what comes after that pre-training.
There is a straightforward fix. Penalize confident errors more than you penalize uncertainty
Sure, water is wet I guess, but how does the LLM determine what is an error? Maybe there's a way, I'm no LLM expert, but there's nothing of substance here.
That is a whole paper from OpenAI that says literally nothing new. There's 0 technical insight, it just rehashes what we (people susceptible to read posts from OpenAI) already know, and it reads exactly like a bland answer straight out from ChatGPT. A lot of words to say nothing, with "conclusions" that could come from 2022.
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Comment on Why language models hallucinate in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentOk but how can a LLM determine if a statement is true? They already output the most statistically plausible answers; from their "point of view" all their responses are the truth. Technically, all...Instead, it’s an artifact of benchmarks that don’t penalize wrong answers more than not answering a question
Ok but how can a LLM determine if a statement is true? They already output the most statistically plausible answers; from their "point of view" all their responses are the truth.
Technically, all answers are hallucinations. They're not different than any other output, it's just the name we give to answers that we know to be wrong. Maybe LLMs could add a "percentage of confidence" to their answers, instead of confidently spewing lies? Sure it will make them sound like robots, but that's what they are, and it wouldn't be a bad thing to remind users.
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Comment on European Commission internally recommends Signal with disappearing messages in ~tech
0xSim LinkThat's an interesting recommendation, given the ongoing "Chat Control" proposal that wants to break E2EE.That's an interesting recommendation, given the ongoing "Chat Control" proposal that wants to break E2EE.
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Comment on Which directors have a flawless filmography? in ~movies
0xSim Link ParentHah, your comment reminded me of my dad geeking out over the rotating hallways scene when he showed me the movie :) Though we probably were in ~2000 and I was a pretty unimpressed teen, but his...Hah, your comment reminded me of my dad geeking out over the rotating hallways scene when he showed me the movie :)
Though we probably were in ~2000 and I was a pretty unimpressed teen, but his enthusiasm was contagious.
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Comment on Norwegian prog/metal band Leprous covers "Take On Me" on the spot in ~music
0xSim LinkThat drummer is something. It looks like absolutely every muscle in his body has a mind of its own, he's in absolute autopilot mode.That drummer is something. It looks like absolutely every muscle in his body has a mind of its own, he's in absolute autopilot mode.
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Comment on Why the internet really wants your ID... (and why now?) in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentTor is a cesspool because most of its users are engaging in illegal activities; the vast majority of decent people don't need Tor. Maybe now that authoritarianism is on the rise again, we'll see...Tor is a cesspool because most of its users are engaging in illegal activities; the vast majority of decent people don't need Tor.
Maybe now that authoritarianism is on the rise again, we'll see more "normal" websites and services pop up on Tor, diluting all the heinous stuff... Just like internet was 30 years ago.
I've played through Mouthwashing yesterday evening.
It's a fairly short game (~2h30) that tells the story of a stranded space cargo crew, in a non-linear fashion. The game starts with you as the captain, voluntarily crashing the ship into an asteroid. You then take control of the second-in-command for most of the game, trying to keep the crew's morale high, and slowly getting clues to what drove the captain to do this.
It's not a scary or stressful game (there are just 3 really short sequences that can get you killed), but I'm still thinking about it. For its price and duration, it was more enjoyable than a movie like Alien Romulus.