Akir's recent activity
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Comment on ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ snags no. 2 with $15.4m as ‘Spider-Man’ nears ‘Avatar 2’; ‘Dog Stars’ put to sleep in ~movies
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Comment on The NES CD, featuring Super Mario CD in ~games
Akir LinkFDS has nothing on this, though it does lose points for the lack of FM synth channels.FDS has nothing on this, though it does lose points for the lack of FM synth channels.
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The NES CD, featuring Super Mario CD
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Akir Link ParentYeah, and of course it’s not a mark against it, it’s just that it feels old when it’s an IP that is still so vibrantly alive today. Really, video games that would build on their worlds and their...Yeah, and of course it’s not a mark against it, it’s just that it feels old when it’s an IP that is still so vibrantly alive today. Really, video games that would build on their worlds and their emotional storytelling would start becoming a lot more at the forefront in subsequent years.
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Comment on Any electric vehicle owners with an Android phone using the ChargePoint app? in ~transport
Akir LinkI had an android phone at one time I seem to remember I had to have the ChargePoint app activated in order to use it. It was so long ago I doubt I’m remembering correctly and even more so that it...I had an android phone at one time I seem to remember I had to have the ChargePoint app activated in order to use it.
It was so long ago I doubt I’m remembering correctly and even more so that it still works the same.
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Akir LinkI cheat-participated. A while back I had started to play through because I had never really finished the game. Then somewhere half through one of the dark world dungeons I accidentally used one of...I cheat-participated. A while back I had started to play through because I had never really finished the game. Then somewhere half through one of the dark world dungeons I accidentally used one of the items that warped me out of the dungeons after I had almost finished it and raged out of it. I basically used the CGA as an excuse to finally finish it.
I won't say it's a bad game in any way, but it's a game firmly planted in the past. It honestly feels less like what Zelda is today and more like Xevious or The Tower of Druaga; it's a game built less around exploring a world in terms of learning about it's people and history and more about discovering it's secrets and treasures. Link has family in this game who gets injured, and they might as well have died for how little they matter to the story after that. The ending in particular didn't feel particularly emotional. It felt grand, just not meaningful in the same way as pretty much any title to come after it.
It's a game that simply can't stand up to it's towering legacy. At one time it was a towering giant in and of itself. Action adventure games used to be categorically called Zelda clones, and this was the game that they were often unashamedly imitating. I didn't have an SNES for most of my childhood, so I would have to make due with imitations like Graal. In all honesty, it probably took the better part of a decade until game designers were able to reliably replicate the kinds of things and feelings that LttP did, but now it feels like we are awash in them.
I know I've been really critical about the games I've played as part of this group. I tend to play more retro games than not. But of those retro games, I tend to play the games that time has forgotten. Zelda is a pretty good example of why; it's a monolith on shifting sands. We can see clearly the evidence of the things that have changed, and how it means different things to us now. That's far different than the things that we can play that are old but we are experiencing for the first time.
Maybe things will be better with THPS2? Things haven't really moved much from there given how much Activision has fumbled the IP.
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Comment on Technology is over in ~tech
Akir LinkI'm only a little bit into this but I'm very distracted by this part: There was a blank compartment which could be replaced with an ethernet adaptor, but no ethernet ports built into the GameCube....I'm only a little bit into this but I'm very distracted by this part:
I remember also that I had a GameCube, and I tore open all the little flaps at the bottom and saw ethernet ports, plug-ins they had included for potential online games in the future.
There was a blank compartment which could be replaced with an ethernet adaptor, but no ethernet ports built into the GameCube. It was pretty dang rare, having only 4 US region games supporting it, and I can't recall ever seeing it in person before.
Oddly enough I think this little oversight is actually a pretty good little metaphor for the, uh, meta, of the author's arguements. The part I think where the author is most salient is when he talks about Jobs' idea of not just using the best technology, but using technology to feed human desire. I think the problem we have with technology is often the way we think about it and how it gets marketed to us. Things get sold to us as "look what this can do!" rather than "Look at how this improves your life!" The Gameboy was an easy sell - you could play Mario on the go. It's pretty self-evident how it's an improvement in one's quality of life. How do you make that same kind of argument about, say, raytracing?
The thing about this is that there is actually great tech being developed all the time, but we just don't tend to hear about them all that much because it's happening in the industrial level or otherwise behind the scenes. We have EVs that can power your home during a power outage now. That's pretty innovative tech that is life changing. We are on the brink of some very innovative battery chemistries as well. We've developed new, more efficient types of solar panels and new ways to install them that make them more effective in real-world scenarios.
Down with Tech! Long live Technology!
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentAt this point in time I would like to shame Chamberlain, the company with a monopoly on garage door openers with a proprietary home automation system that does not interoperate with any other system.At this point in time I would like to shame Chamberlain, the company with a monopoly on garage door openers with a proprietary home automation system that does not interoperate with any other system.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentOSHW in particular! There are still some binary blobs going around but things are pretty good in terms of building real world things that do cool things. Since the ESP8266/32s and Raspberry Pi...OSHW in particular! There are still some binary blobs going around but things are pretty good in terms of building real world things that do cool things. Since the ESP8266/32s and Raspberry Pi Picos started coming out it’s been great to have some go-to modules that make it easy to start projects regardless of your skill level.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI really hate the idea of having the illusion of a complete library of music though. You really don’t have everything that you might have through file sharing. Apple Music and Spotify have a lot...I really hate the idea of having the illusion of a complete library of music though. You really don’t have everything that you might have through file sharing. Apple Music and Spotify have a lot of music, but Nintendo keeps the vast majority of its music off and into its own music streaming app, and that doesn’t even include a great deal of historical VGM that wasn’t published by Nintendo and is largely missing on all streaming platforms with questionable legal status.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentHahaha, after letting this thread sit I thought I would come in here with the exact same answer! I guess we should all get together and have a self-aggrandizement party. 😸Hahaha, after letting this thread sit I thought I would come in here with the exact same answer!
I guess we should all get together and have a self-aggrandizement party. 😸
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Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Akir Link ParentWe live in a cruel world where people are disingenuous. Especially on the big social media platforms. We have been given actual proof of bots and disinformation campaigns, Russian and otherwise....We live in a cruel world where people are disingenuous. Especially on the big social media platforms. We have been given actual proof of bots and disinformation campaigns, Russian and otherwise.
While Tildes is a kinder place where people are more sincere, it's always wise to remember that we don't live in Tildes - we come from places where we are dealing with crazy bad faith arguments and made up stories meant to manipulate us all the time. It feels like people are becoming less honest in meatspace as well.
There is no solution but to build the community you want to be in.
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Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThe circular references might not be so bad if they at least referenced eachother, but it's all self-reference. It's just the machine masturbating itself to shitty rips of content stolen from...The circular references might not be so bad if they at least referenced eachother, but it's all self-reference. It's just the machine masturbating itself to shitty rips of content stolen from somewhere else.
And worse, you will get a friend to give you a link to something on their their shitty network and they will refuse to show you more than a sliver of the context without creating an account, consenting to their data harvesting and yielding of your rights, and downloading their invasive apps. I get friends who send instagram reels and facebook videos that I can technically view, but I can't pause them, review them in any way, or read the title or caption without going through sacrificing my first born. Attempting to do so will open up the app store before saying that there is no app to open the link I clicked on because I didn't install their spyware.
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Comment on Are others finding themselves spending less and less time online? in ~tech
Akir LinkI’ve kind of felt the same. A lot of it is that the creators of thoughtful content have moved around quite a lot in recent years. Journalism oitlets have plummeted in quality and variety of what...I’ve kind of felt the same. A lot of it is that the creators of thoughtful content have moved around quite a lot in recent years. Journalism oitlets have plummeted in quality and variety of what they will publish, and perhaps more importantly aggregators are less likely to pick them up and make them viral, in part because there are less people on them.
A lot of it is likely because people are changing the kind of media they consume. Particularly in the form of short form vertical video. They are watching TikToks, instagram reels, or YouTube shorts. There is a surprising amount of content that I could describe as being “deep-like, but without depth” on those platforms. People making political points also tend to be a lot more effective in them without needing to take a lot of time or words because they can convey passion directly.
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Comment on Amazon kept shutting down my tablet, so I spent $266 on four AI models to own it in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI wonder how the software situation is on Walmart’s Onn brand tablets? I’ve been hearing good things about them lately.I wonder how the software situation is on Walmart’s Onn brand tablets? I’ve been hearing good things about them lately.
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Comment on Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened in ~tech
Akir Link ParentOh man, now that you put it that way I think it might actually be on purpose to avoid liability. That way their salespeople can promise to bring the heavens down, and after they inevitably fail to...Oh man, now that you put it that way I think it might actually be on purpose to avoid liability. That way their salespeople can promise to bring the heavens down, and after they inevitably fail to do so they cant be sued because any such promise was off the record.
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Comment on Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI absolutely agree. One of the things I hate about the current fashion in design is that there are countless companies out there who make their websites the primary ways to advertise their...I absolutely agree. One of the things I hate about the current fashion in design is that there are countless companies out there who make their websites the primary ways to advertise their business, and yet their design is so glossy and generic you might not even be able to tell what it is they actually do.
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Comment on Dutch regulator fines Uber $966m for automating driver suspensions in ~transport
Akir Link ParentHere’s hoping that the appeal will simply cost them more money.Here’s hoping that the appeal will simply cost them more money.
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Comment on Webcomic of the author's experience in an abusive school that was a part of the Troubled Teens Industry in ~life
Akir Link ParentI think the important thing to know is that this is not the only program of its kind, and that these literally model themselves after a cult. You might remember they talked about Synanon? They...I think the important thing to know is that this is not the only program of its kind, and that these literally model themselves after a cult. You might remember they talked about Synanon? They model a lot of their practices after them. The cult like behaviors isn’t just for the kids, either, they stretch out to the parents and family so as to support the financial extraction.
Elan may be closed but I am pretty confident there are still programs just like it still being run to this day.
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Comment on Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful in ~tech
Akir LinkIs it just me or is online shopping just stupid these days? I gave up impulse buying things online quite some time ago and canceled Prime not too long later. Shopping on Amazon now seems even more...Is it just me or is online shopping just stupid these days?
I gave up impulse buying things online quite some time ago and canceled Prime not too long later. Shopping on Amazon now seems even more tumultuous now than it has ever been. Sometimes products don’t seem to actually have descriptions anymore, they just have summaries.
Relying on AI to purchase things for you is frankly the stupidest thing I could possibly imagine. It is counter to the entire point of online shopping - finding the best deals. AI does not know what these products are like. It has not held them in its hands. It doesn’t have human hands to begin with. Shopping is one of the most alien things you could ask it to do. You might as well ask it to evaluate your poetry recital.
But it seems to me that many online stores - Amazon is hardly the only one - aren’t so much in the business of retail as they are in the business of addiction marketing. They may have the things you need, but that’s just the in - it’s there to get you into the ecosystem that gets you addicted to buying cheap tat you don’t need.
I’ve been seeing a lot of YouTube ads about The Dog Stars lately but I still have no idea what it’s about. Gritty people being shot…? All I know is that in the trailer it has the words of the title showing up one after another so I keep wondering what it is the dog stars in.
I’m not sure if trailers and commercials for movies are just bad these days or if I’ve just somehow managed to filter out marketing enough that I don’t get any of the good stuff. Every trailer I seem to see is just a collage of action shots and people making dumb faces, it seems, with very little pulling it together. As cliche as the “In a world…” narrator was, at least he told me what to expect about the movie they wanted me to see.