Akir's recent activity
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
Akir Link ParentIt is apples-to-oranges in that the RCA player was competing against a device that did not yet exist. Beyond that, in 2000 RCA was still known for having decent quality to my memory. A standalone...It is apples-to-oranges in that the RCA player was competing against a device that did not yet exist. Beyond that, in 2000 RCA was still known for having decent quality to my memory. A standalone device would have also likely had better picture quality simply for the ability to use better quality cables than the proprietary ones that Sony manufactured for the PS2.
Look in the 2001 catalog, which would have been published just a few months after the release of the PS2, and you will find one that is $100 less. Either way, the PS2 would not have come with a DVD remote, so if you wanted all the features you would have gotten with the standalone DVD player you'd need to spend at least an additional $20 for the remote.
I acknowledged that the DVD capabilities were a selling point, but it was not the primary reason why someone would be purchasing the system. If you wanted a DVD player you would buy a DVD player. If you wanted a game system too, you might have purchased a PS2 instead of a DVD player, but you would not buy a PS2 if you just wanted a DVD player.
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Comment on Most and least expensive US supermarkets in ~food
Akir Link ParentFood4Less is their value brand?! The last time I bought something from one of those stores was because I was in desperate need to get some whole wheat flour and they were the only store who had it...Food4Less is their value brand?! The last time I bought something from one of those stores was because I was in desperate need to get some whole wheat flour and they were the only store who had it in the area I was in at the time. It cost about 3 times more than what I would usually pay!
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI actually ended up responding to my naysayers on reddit even though it won't make a difference. I looked up the Radio Shack catalog for the year 2000, and on page 178 it lists a DVD player for...I actually ended up responding to my naysayers on reddit even though it won't make a difference. I looked up the Radio Shack catalog for the year 2000, and on page 178 it lists a DVD player for $50 less than the PS2 launch price. The catalog would have been published nearly a year before the release of the PS2.
I don't doubt that the DVD capability of the system made it a more attractive option than the only other option at the time, the Dreamcast, but people were very clearly buying it to play games on, not to watch movies. I can't speak for everyone in the world, but by the time I had a PS2 our family already owned a DVD player (hooked up with S-Video for the ultimate in picture quality). Then again, I grew up in a TV repair shop, so I'm probably not the ideal choice for a statistical sample.
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I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history
Yesterday I did something stupid. I went to reddit and responded to a comment. The comment in question was talking about how popular the PS2 was because it also functioned as a DVD player. I...
Yesterday I did something stupid. I went to reddit and responded to a comment. The comment in question was talking about how popular the PS2 was because it also functioned as a DVD player. I pointed out that few people would have bought a PS2 because it was more expensive than a standalone device, and didn't come with a remote. People often get confused about this because the PS3 basically fit this description: it was one of the best and cheapest blu-ray players for quite a while. Naturally when I went back to look at reddit today I found a bunch of people saying "nuh-uh" and my response had negative karma.
There's a lot of revisionist history when it comes to video games. For the earlier generation, there seems to be this idea that the Sega Saturn couldn't do "real" 3D graphics and the Playstation couldn't do "real" sprites - in spite of a massive library of titles that directly prove that they both draw 2D and 3D graphics just fine - heck, there's a bunch of people out there who think Symphony of the Night on PSX is one of the best pixel art games of all time.
I don't really care much about these specific examples, because they're ultimately meaningless. It's not remotely likely that these "factoids" will make a difference to anyone's life. What I do care about, however, is what it says about society. We already know reddit is an echo chamber, but if we can't figure out what the actual truth of history was, we're doomed as a species.
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Comment on Humble Choice - February 2026 in ~games
Akir LinkWow, finally a Humble Choice that is actually worth it. I've been wanting to play Date Everything and RE Village for quite some time but never enough to actually buy either of them. I guess I'm...Wow, finally a Humble Choice that is actually worth it. I've been wanting to play Date Everything and RE Village for quite some time but never enough to actually buy either of them. I guess I'm re-subscribing.
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Comment on Most and least expensive US supermarkets in ~food
Akir Link ParentTo be fair, these are major metropolitan areas, and so I think there's an assumption that you'll be able to get to an alternative option nearby without a huge difference in time. Where I live...To be fair, these are major metropolitan areas, and so I think there's an assumption that you'll be able to get to an alternative option nearby without a huge difference in time. Where I live Costco locations are 30 minutes away from eachother, so you'll theoretically never be over 15 minutes away from one.
I always try to get the best value for everything, but realistically I like a bunch of weird ingredients so I end up going to a bunch of different stores to get all the things I need.
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Comment on Most and least expensive US supermarkets in ~food
Akir LinkThis didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know, but I did learn some interesting tidbits. I stopped shopping for groceries at Walmart years ago because it was actually surprisingly expensive....This didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know, but I did learn some interesting tidbits. I stopped shopping for groceries at Walmart years ago because it was actually surprisingly expensive. The prices were about the same as, say, Albertson’s or Von’s. I know that they’ve done a lot to improve their grocery department in more recent years, though, so this is more of a factor of them being in a relatively inconvenient location for me now that there is better competition.
The choices of stores to represent seem a bit odd to me. For Southern California they include WinCo (a great company I wish more people knew about), but they only have a handful of locations in the region and none of them are near Central LA. They don’t include Smart & Final which has significantly more locations. With them excluded it seems ever so slightly unfair to include Costco who is playing a different game than the rest with their exclusively bulk-sized packaging, something that S&F at least partially tries to compete in with select bulk items in their stores.
I’ve said this a lot but here in SoCal the Asian markets have fresh products that are higher quality, freshness, and with better variety while generally having lower prices. The same is likely true at Hispanic grocers.
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Comment on How Norway accomplished a near-total electric vehicle transition – almost 100 percent of new cars registered in November were electric in ~transport
Akir Link ParentThey're bad at it because they have perverse incentives. In the long run, the money Ford spent on EV development pales into the amount of money they've spent incrementally building their ICE...They're bad at it because they have perverse incentives. In the long run, the money Ford spent on EV development pales into the amount of money they've spent incrementally building their ICE drivetrains over time. They want to continue making ICE powered cars because it already makes them money and it makes a lot more sense for them to keep focusing on the "sure thing" than to try to spend a lot of money on a "maybe". In this case, the "maybe" in question is actually an inevitability, but pretty much every major business has been operating on short term logic since at least the 1980s.
Tesla, on the other hand, managed to succeed at their endeavors because they not only lacked those perverse incentives, they had every reason to avoid competing in the ICE market, which famously ate up just about every company to try it.
Honestly, part of me thinks that having the US auto makers fail might be a good thing in the long run. I don't want their factory workers to lose their jobs, but it seems that these companies simply aren't sustainable as businesses, environmental issues aside. The government is already doing a lot to keep them alive, including closing out foreign competition. Heck, they already failed around 2008 when we had to inject them with cash to keep them running.
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Comment on How Norway accomplished a near-total electric vehicle transition – almost 100 percent of new cars registered in November were electric in ~transport
Akir (edited )Link ParentThe big problem in the US is that the automakers who make cars for the market have largely been avoiding investment in BEVs. And surprisingly the domestic manufacturers - specifically Ford and GM...The big problem in the US is that the automakers who make cars for the market have largely been avoiding investment in BEVs. And surprisingly the domestic manufacturers - specifically Ford and GM - have been more aggressive than many of the foreign manufacturers like Toyota, who has still only offered a single fully electric vehicle which I have yet to see in public outside of a showing inside of a mall.
Of those manufacturers it seems like most of them are still largely focused on making affordable EVs. There’s really only two companies that I think are even moderately succeeding at it: Tesla and GM.
I think that the only way to fix this in the US would be to use the government to force manufacturers to invest in it, particularly by setting a date in which the sale of new consumer vehicles with combustion engines would be banned. Unfortunately it would need to be a long period of time and the mere existence of shithead conservatives and representatives bought by oil companies - who, to be clear, also deserve to be called shitheads - basically makes this impossible.
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Comment on How Norway accomplished a near-total electric vehicle transition – almost 100 percent of new cars registered in November were electric in ~transport
Akir Link ParentEvery modern EV will engage a heater to keep the battery healthy, and AFAIK if it’s plugged into mains electricity they will use that rather than the battery to power it.Every modern EV will engage a heater to keep the battery healthy, and AFAIK if it’s plugged into mains electricity they will use that rather than the battery to power it.
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Comment on Notepad++ hijacked by state-sponsored hackers in ~tech
Akir LinkThis isn’t the first time I’ve heard of malicious actors targeting Notepad++. Is there some reason why it seems to be a desirable target, or is it just that the maintainers are more open about...This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of malicious actors targeting Notepad++. Is there some reason why it seems to be a desirable target, or is it just that the maintainers are more open about such things compared to other IDEs?
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Comment on The downfall of OnePlus will be studied | The "enthusiast brand" arc in ~tech
Akir Link ParentYou can also virtualize windows ARM for it. It works pretty well in my experience, but I have only used for light tasks because I installed it as a demonstrator so I could show kids where to go...You can also virtualize windows ARM for it. It works pretty well in my experience, but I have only used for light tasks because I installed it as a demonstrator so I could show kids where to go when they had to do Windows-specific things.
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Comment on You are being misled about renewable energy technology in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentThere are petroleum based candles (made with paraffin wax), but there are also many candles made with renewable sources of fuel such as beeswax and soy wax. But unless it specifically says what...There are petroleum based candles (made with paraffin wax), but there are also many candles made with renewable sources of fuel such as beeswax and soy wax.
But unless it specifically says what kind it is, it's likely to be paraffin.
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Comment on Actual underrated films of the 2020s so far in ~movies
Akir Link ParentI totally forgot this movie came out this recently! It feels a bit dated in a way I can't quite put my finger on. Fantastic film. It's basically what I wish that John Wick was. Surprised the RT...I totally forgot this movie came out this recently! It feels a bit dated in a way I can't quite put my finger on.
Fantastic film. It's basically what I wish that John Wick was. Surprised the RT score is so low, actually.
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Comment on What healthy habit has made a difference for you? in ~health
Akir LinkI think I have talked about it quite a lot, but changing my diet has dramatically improved my quality of life. A lot of the things that people eat regularly are probably things that are...I think I have talked about it quite a lot, but changing my diet has dramatically improved my quality of life. A lot of the things that people eat regularly are probably things that are contributing a fine layer of misery over their daily lives. I’ve learned that too many simple carbs (including white bread) can lead to me feeling jittery and can even contribute to “crashing out”. Too many fats makes my skin oily, gross, and potentially even stinky. Not enough fiber affects bowel movements pretty directly. The thing that affected me most was what really surprised me at first: meat - regardless of if it’s red meat or lean white meat - just kind of gunks up everything. It’s cumulative so you won’t notice it immediately if you make a change. It’s a bit hard to describe, but it’s basically like the physical effect of depression or what you’d be like taking a “bed death” day if you’re used to being active. You’re just kind of generally sore and groggy. On top of that it’s usually served pretty greasy so you’ll get the same effect of high fats, and it will even make your stool smell worse than it needs to.
Of course, if any of these describe your regular diet, you won’t notice any of this because it’s just your regular baseline and you’re used to it. I assume that these things are why people feel good after doing fasts or cleanses or “detox diets” and the like. If so, there’s a reason why they have to keep repeating them.
And as someone who is currently dealing with medical issues keeping them from sleeping and only managed 3 hours last night, sleep is pretty damn important too.
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Comment on Amazon’s promotion of ‘Melania’ has critics questioning its motives (Amazon has spent 35M on marketing on top of its 40M budget) in ~movies
Akir Link ParentI assume it just got downgraded because the page says 6 for me.I assume it just got downgraded because the page says 6 for me.
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Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI used to be someone who ate a big portion of meat at every meal. But somehow I don’t miss it today, and I haven’t for quite a while. My husband, unfortunately, did not go veg with me, and he...I used to be someone who ate a big portion of meat at every meal. But somehow I don’t miss it today, and I haven’t for quite a while.
My husband, unfortunately, did not go veg with me, and he regularly eats meat. I haven’t told him this, but I find it really unattractive when he eats meat-heavy meals. Last night he had fried chicken and watching him with those bones going in and out of his mouth with the cartilage and muscle fibers sticking out was just plain gross. I still love him more than anything though.
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Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI think the thing that actively drives me away from tech the most these days is the realization that most companies just want to sell me the same shit I already own, but with whatever tech fad is...I think the thing that actively drives me away from tech the most these days is the realization that most companies just want to sell me the same shit I already own, but with whatever tech fad is currently in place. For instance, a while ago the thing was selling kitchen appliances with Bluetooth radios to make them “smart” - usually by combining them with a smartphone app that has some sort of subscription. This year they are doing the same thing but it includes some sort of AI component.
This wouldn’t be quite as bad if this were the 80s and they actually had to put a lot of effort into engineering these solutions, but today’s technologies have become trivial to implement. We are living in the post-arduino world, where even I could implement most of the things that these devices are doing. Combine this with so-called “tech journalism” which is filled to the brim with sycophants who will love everything they come across. If it’s a fantasy product that will never hit the consumer market, the journalists will believe that it will, and if it’s a demonstration shows that it’s terrible, well, that just means that it “has potential” and they’ll have a working one “soon”.
Don’t even get me started on companies who are trying to rebrand themselves as “tech companies” as a transparent money grab.
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Comment on Matt Damon says Netflix wants movies to restate the 'plot three or four times in the dialogue' because viewers are on 'their phones while they're watching' in ~movies
Akir Link ParentThey do have good stuff from time to time. The problem is the signal to noise ratio combined with the general discoverability of those good shows. Sometimes I will get recommended them but I’ll...They do have good stuff from time to time. The problem is the signal to noise ratio combined with the general discoverability of those good shows. Sometimes I will get recommended them but I’ll also be recommended a bunch of slop shows that I don’t care about.
I think you get me. It’s not so much the specifics about the PS2 that matters, but people are so engrossed into the story that any attempts to simply add nuance is met with indifference at best and venom at worst.
I loved playing the PS2 when it was out. I own more physical games for the system than any other. But I’m also in my 30s and don’t actually care about it anymore outside the remaining vapor of nostalgia. It’s the response that kills me.