0xSim's recent activity
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Comment on Should I stop using Kagi because they do business with Yandex? in ~tech
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Comment on How Bluesky, the rival of Elon Musk’s X, is seizing the moment in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentI'm (relatively) active on Mastodon, but have a Bluesky account for all the non-tech stuff. As much as I like Mastodon and the Fediverse, Bluesky is a better product for the masses. Mastodon does...I'm (relatively) active on Mastodon, but have a Bluesky account for all the non-tech stuff. As much as I like Mastodon and the Fediverse, Bluesky is a better product for the masses. Mastodon does its job, ActivityPub makes it resistant to enshittification, but it's nothing more than a utilitarian social network. On the other hand, Bluesky feels fun.
There's a variety of reasons for that difference, but IMO it boils down to the fact that open-source projects aren't fun first. They exist to solve an issue, they're inherently utilitarian first. A VC-backed product like Bluesky must be fun first to attract users and make money. And it works.
And that's ok, I say that without judgement. Most of the fun things I was getting from Twitter (shitposters, videogames, art, ...) are now available on Bluesky. When Bluesky becomes enshittified, I will find these things elsewhere, just as I've been doing those last 2 years.
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Comment on Best solution to extract PDF data? in ~comp
0xSim (edited )Link ParentImages are easy to do with tools like Tesseract: if they're clean enough, it works really well. But PDFs... PDFs are a nightmare. You can mix and match images and text (so what looks like text...Images are easy to do with tools like Tesseract: if they're clean enough, it works really well.
But PDFs... PDFs are a nightmare. You can mix and match images and text (so what looks like text often isn't), and the text itself is regularly mangled and not usable without manual cleaning. PDFs are meant to look good and be printable; the ones that can be recovered are rare. Honestly the best way to extract text from a PDF is to first convert it to images, and run OCR on them.
Edit: Just to be clear I'm talking from experience here. Maybe your PDFs are good enough to be extracted, because they were made properly from good materials (like markdown or Office files) but that's not the case for a good portion of them 🤷♂️
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Comment on Character.AI faces US lawsuit after teen's suicide in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentAbout as bright as any unhealthy coping mechanism.In the article, this chatbot appeared to be the one bright spot of the boy's life.
About as bright as any unhealthy coping mechanism.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
0xSim Link ParentI played a ED a few hours, restarted a save more than once, and never had a binding issue with the controller. The default bindings were enough for all most common tasks, and I actually found them...I played a ED a few hours, restarted a save more than once, and never had a binding issue with the controller.
The default bindings were enough for all most common tasks, and I actually found them quite smart in their use of combinations to map different actions on the same button. Though I admit that a few keyboard bindings are necessary once you're getting more confortable, a controller is enough 95% of the time.
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Comment on Nintendo Switch Online Playtest Program is a new multiplayer game in ~games
0xSim Link ParentI don't know about Japanese companies in general, but Nintendo is very infamous for their outdated views, techs, and "features" about online games.I don't know about Japanese companies in general, but Nintendo is very infamous for their outdated views, techs, and "features" about online games.
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Comment on Meta fires staff for abusing $25 meal credits in ~tech
0xSim LinkIn several European countries - at least Belgium and France that I know of -, we have "chèque-repas" or "tickets restaurant" ("meal vouchers" basically), that have a legal framework around them. I...In several European countries - at least Belgium and France that I know of -, we have "chèque-repas" or "tickets restaurant" ("meal vouchers" basically), that have a legal framework around them. I have a special card that is topped up every month with the equivalent of x€ for each day I work, and I can use this card to buy lunch or groceries in most shops and many restaurants. I think it's even more restricted in France, you can only buy lunch in a radius of a few kilometers around your place of employment. It's designed to help local businesses.
Anyway, my point is since there's a legal framework, it only works for food. I think that can be a bit abused, but the blame would be definitely put on the seller, not the customer.
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Comment on Kobo for a casual reader in ~books
0xSim LinkWhy would you buy a new device if the one you have is still perfectly serviceable? You're not even using it that much. It reads like you're looking for validation to buy a new toy. I get that,...mostly because something with a a USB-C port would be nice to have
And by casual reader, I mean I read maybe 5-10 books a year, so my Kindle often just sits by my bedside, gathering dust for a spell.
Why would you buy a new device if the one you have is still perfectly serviceable? You're not even using it that much. It reads like you're looking for validation to buy a new toy. I get that, everyone likes shiny new things, but the honest answer is "no, you don't need a Kobo, your Kindle is still more than fine".
Edit: if you want to feel good by not giving money to Amazon, Calibre can help you transfer any ebook to/from your Kindle.
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Comment on HTML for people in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentThere's a world of difference between writing HTML - which is literally a plain text that will run in your browser after a double-click - and setting up a full dev environment for, say, Python,...There's a world of difference between writing HTML - which is literally a plain text that will run in your browser after a double-click - and setting up a full dev environment for, say, Python, Rust, or PHP.
If you want to teach people HTML for a day-to-day use, "create a folder and an index.html file" does not prevent anyone getting an "early success". The barrier of entry is definitely NOT higher than "first, create an account on this highly tech-looking site that is clearly made for aspiring developers".
If creating a folder on your computer is the step that's preventing you to learn HTML, then don't bother.
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Comment on Relative installed shady browser extension in ~comp
0xSim Link ParentThe best thing to do is to correctly read and understand messages that ask you to confirm something, and to not be afraid to just click "No" or "Cancel". But even that is hard to do when...The best thing to do is to correctly read and understand messages that ask you to confirm something, and to not be afraid to just click "No" or "Cancel". But even that is hard to do when everything asks you to confirm the most mundane thing, and fatigue sets in.
That, and obviously to not download & install something that you don't need.
I'm just bad at helping them protect themselves
No, it's genuinely hard to navigate the internet while avoiding its many traps, if you're not tech-savvy. That said, a decent adblocker will already remove 90% of the risks.
Edit: and keep your antivirus enabled. Just use Microsoft Defender that is bundled with Windows, never install a 3rd party antivirus. They're all crap.
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Comment on X exempt from gatekeeper obligations in EU's Digital Markets Act in ~tech
0xSim Link ParentBut not surprising. Public shaming is usually more effective and quicker, and I'd argue a "better" solution when you have to deal with the power imbalance of a customer vs a company.It's disturbing how people are encouraged to do that because it genuinely works better than dealing with the company's customer support.
But not surprising. Public shaming is usually more effective and quicker, and I'd argue a "better" solution when you have to deal with the power imbalance of a customer vs a company.
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Comment on Relative installed shady browser extension in ~comp
0xSim LinkBrowser extensions are fairly well sandboxed, I doubt one would be able to install anything (like a keylogger) on the system. Though it's not impossible, but unlikely, that the extension itself...Browser extensions are fairly well sandboxed, I doubt one would be able to install anything (like a keylogger) on the system. Though it's not impossible, but unlikely, that the extension itself was keylogging while installed.
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Comment on Red Dead Redemption 1 finally gets a PC release date - October 29th, 2024 in ~games
0xSim LinkNeat, the best of the series (I'll totally die on this hill)Neat, the best of the series (I'll totally die on this hill)
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Comment on What are your spooky, creepy or unexplained stories? in ~talk
0xSim Link ParentThat is straight up horror movie material.feet walk past that didn't belong to anyone in the house while playing hide and seek under the beds
That is straight up horror movie material.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
0xSim (edited )Link ParentI guess it's due to lots of shaders and lights effects, it's a small game but every visual detail is carefully crafted. I just checked, and there are a few in-game options to cap the framerate and...I guess it's due to lots of shaders and lights effects, it's a small game but every visual detail is carefully crafted.
I just checked, and there are a few in-game options to cap the framerate and change the render scaling, so I got it running to a stable 30fps without the Deck sounding like a jet engine. I was also able to reduce the TDP to 10W to make it mostly silent. But again, that's on a half-empty map.
I also forgot to add that in my previous post, but the game feels like a "minimum viable product", if that makes sense. You can't copy-paste, and you can only select and move a single building at a time (which can be really inconvenient). I'm sure these QoL features will come later as I already got 2 updates in 2 days, but here goes.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
0xSim LinkI bought two radically different games this week. Tiny Glade More of a toy than a game, it fills the same niche as Townscaper but on a micro scale. The buildable area is rather small, but you can...I bought two radically different games this week.
Tiny Glade
More of a toy than a game, it fills the same niche as Townscaper but on a micro scale. The buildable area is rather small, but you can cram a lot of tiny details into each building. You're given a few basic tools, and it's up to you to combine them seamlessly. Don't hesitate to take a look at screenshots to get some inspiration, because you can make really complex buildings that don't look possible at all. It's really pleasant to use, and I got lost an afternoon while reproducing a small part of my medieval city.
It requires a relatively decent PC too. For reference, my Steam Deck struggles to maintain 40fps while the fan is running at max speed, and my map is half empty. Also, as the game only supports mouse+keyboard, it's awkward to use on the Deck.
Nova Drift
Shoot enemies, collect xp, gain levels, and stack dozens of modifications for you ship to make it radically different from a game to another. Drone swarms, stealth with slow and powerful blades, classical pew-pews, flak cannon, lasers, burning shields, ramming tank, life drain... Everything goes. It's varied enough to keep things really fresh, and you can even respec to better synergize your weapon, hull, and shield.
A word of caution though: it looks like a twin-stick shooter, but it's mechanically not. The left joystick is used to orientate your ship (absolutely or relatively), the left trigger is the propulsion, and the right trigger shoots your weapon. The right joystick is functionally useless. It's absolutely weird and looks like a terrible design mistake at first glance, but it's 100% intentional. Mastering your ship's movement is part of the game, and there are several bonuses that affect rotation and propulsion speed, stabilisation, or add a left/right dodge.
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Comment on Emmanuel Macron unveils new right-wing French government in ~society
0xSim Link ParentI can get behind this logic, but I still find it ridiculous Macron had to do this whole circus to end up at square one (and, again, give even more ground to the far right clowns), and more than...I can get behind this logic, but I still find it ridiculous Macron had to do this whole circus to end up at square one (and, again, give even more ground to the far right clowns), and more than anything, that the left isn't represented at all in the government despite being the winning bloc.
That's what I was saying in my first post: he's technically correct but he's still an ass and a sore loser.
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Comment on Emmanuel Macron unveils new right-wing French government in ~society
0xSim Link ParentI don't disagree with what you said, but 2 things: Centrists are always closeted right-wingers, but Macron has been out of that closet at least since he's been elected President. His politics have...I don't disagree with what you said, but 2 things:
centrists do always seem to compromise to the right rather than the left
Centrists are always closeted right-wingers, but Macron has been out of that closet at least since he's been elected President. His politics have always been fully on the right.
A purely left wing government would not be a reasonable outcome of this election given that the NFP are nowhere near a majority
But now there's a purely right wing government, how is this a more reasonable outcome? Lucie Castets, the former NFP candidate for Prime Minister, openly said she was open to compromises. We'll never know 🤷♂️
Edit: a proportional representation would be better (though not a panacea, for sure), but that change isn't going to happen.
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Comment on Emmanuel Macron unveils new right-wing French government in ~society
0xSim (edited )Link ParentAnd so instead of compromising with the left (and the majority of voters), he managed to make another right-wing government. In the end, the assembly dissolution was 100% useless (on top of being...This created a very difficult situation for Macron, since as the President it’s his job to appoint a government that can run the country, but since the three major blocs broadly disagree with each other, it was impossible for him to appoint a government that would actually be able to maintain the confidence of parliament and be able to pass any legislation.
And so instead of compromising with the left (and the majority of voters), he managed to make another right-wing government. In the end, the assembly dissolution was 100% useless (on top of being a total sore loser move), the Left who (barely) won is not even accurately represented in the new government, and people who say "voting is useless" are now correct. Oh and the far-right gained even more ground.
Edit: yes Macron is "technically correct". That doesn't mean he's right (no pun intended).
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Comment on Data center emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims in ~enviro
Their response sucks, and it was already the same lame non-answer when they announced a partnership with Brave.
You can't claim to be "neutral" - whatever that could mean - on (geo)political issues, while being THE paid search engine. As a user, if you choose to pay for a search engine, you're taking a stance that is definitely not neutral. Tech is not neutral.
And it sucks because I want to see a viable internet business model that does not rely on big data and advertising, but it looks like it's only always going to be assholes all the way down, just of a different kind.