Arlen's recent activity

  1. Comment on What are some favorite books with themes of grit, endurance, resilience, living through hostile circumstances? in ~books

    Arlen
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    It's hard not to drift straight into WW2 when thinking of those themes, but here's a few I think fit the bill: Maus by Art Spiegelman Night by Elie Wiesel Perseopolis by Marjane Satrapi The...

    It's hard not to drift straight into WW2 when thinking of those themes, but here's a few I think fit the bill:

    • Maus by Art Spiegelman
    • Night by Elie Wiesel
    • Perseopolis by Marjane Satrapi
    • The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines (correct me if I'm wrong about this one, I read it ~27 years ago)
    4 votes
  2. Comment on Besides Shawshank Redemption, what films do you like that feature grit, resilience, endurance under hostile circumstances? in ~movies

    Arlen
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    Rocky is a solid example, I think. Actually a lot of sports movies probably fit the bill. 42, A League of Their Own, heck, even Dodgeball and Happy Gilmore seem like they check the boxes.

    Rocky is a solid example, I think. Actually a lot of sports movies probably fit the bill. 42, A League of Their Own, heck, even Dodgeball and Happy Gilmore seem like they check the boxes.

    2 votes
  3. Comment on Denis Villeneuve eyes a new hard sci-fi epic adaptation, ‘Rendezvous with Rama’ in ~movies

    Arlen
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    He's able to show scale really well, as proven in Dune Part 2, which I think is important for Rama. What I'm most curious about is if he'd just be leaving the first story as a stand-alone thing,...

    He's able to show scale really well, as proven in Dune Part 2, which I think is important for Rama.

    What I'm most curious about is if he'd just be leaving the first story as a stand-alone thing, or following it up with the Rama II/Garden of Rama/Rama Revealed trilogy. I know the latter can be divisive but people may not appreciate the

    pseudo-spoiler for the first book open-ended nature of *Rendezvous*.
    5 votes
  4. Comment on A shower thought on cameras in ~talk

    Arlen
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    I have never heard of light-field cameras before, but after reading about them, what a rad piece of tech. Assuming they don't have any additional limitations compared to regular cameras (I didn't...

    I have never heard of light-field cameras before, but after reading about them, what a rad piece of tech. Assuming they don't have any additional limitations compared to regular cameras (I didn't read a ton about them), I feel like they should absolutely be used for photographing any sort of event. Set the focus where you need to publish the nice picture in the article or whatever, but release the focusable light-field image as an historical document*.

    *In an open-source format, of course.

    2 votes
  5. Comment on There is no safe word: How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades in ~books

    Arlen
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    I get what you mean, but your phrasing just keeps making me think of this Norm MacDonald quote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9wLAFuAi4U

    The sad thing is...

    I get what you mean, but your phrasing just keeps making me think of this Norm MacDonald quote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9wLAFuAi4U

    7 votes
  6. Comment on How UI helps you hate breakable weapons a bit less in ~games

    Arlen
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    I don't like them in general, but what really ruined BotW for me was that it you lose a fight, you respawn with the weapon durability still used up (and/or the gear still destroyed). It means you...

    I don't like them in general, but what really ruined BotW for me was that it you lose a fight, you respawn with the weapon durability still used up (and/or the gear still destroyed). It means you can't really retry very difficult fights unless you have the means to go replace your gear between attempts.

    20 votes
  7. Comment on Ahsoka Season 2 will recast the late Ray Stevenson with Game of Thrones' "The Hound" instead of killing off Baylan Skoll in ~tv

    Arlen
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    Jack Black was in The Mandalorian, not Ahsoka.

    Jack Black was in The Mandalorian, not Ahsoka.

    3 votes
  8. Comment on TikTok says it plans to shut down site for US unless Supreme Court strikes down law forcing it to sell in ~tech

    Arlen
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    Why does the argument that Instagram Reels' and YouTube Shorts' continued existence will fill the short-attention-span media void not also apply to the effects on the music industry?

    Why does the argument that Instagram Reels' and YouTube Shorts' continued existence will fill the short-attention-span media void not also apply to the effects on the music industry?

    5 votes
  9. Comment on The queer fantasy of playersexuality in ~games

    Arlen
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    I always kind of thought of "playersexual" NPCs as existing in a quantum state of sexuality. If your player character is of the same gender, they're gay, and if your player character is of the...

    I always kind of thought of "playersexual" NPCs as existing in a quantum state of sexuality. If your player character is of the same gender, they're gay, and if your player character is of the opposite gender, they're straight.

    There may of course be some cases where characters outright declare themselves to be bi-/pan-sexual, as I admittedly have not played every game, but at least in my recent recollection I can't think of an instance like that for every romanceable character in the games I've played.

    Edit for clarity: In most cases, the only relationship that an NPC has that you know about is the one with your character. So in the game universe that exists, there's no reason to expect that the "playersexual" NPCs would be attracted to your character no matter your character's sex/gender/appearance/alignment, because playing a different version of the main character is necessarily a different universe.

    4 votes
  10. Comment on Los Angeles area wildfires: over 5K acres burned and over 30K people forced to evacuate so far in ~enviro

    Arlen
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    It wasn't even that long ago that we didn't even have a fire season. At least where I live, in Northern California, there was obviously always a time of year where fires were more likely, but we...

    It wasn't even that long ago that we didn't even have a fire season. At least where I live, in Northern California, there was obviously always a time of year where fires were more likely, but we didn't expect them every year like we do now.

    7 votes
  11. Comment on OpenAI boss Sam Altman denies sexual abuse allegations made by sister, Ann Altman in ~tech

    Arlen
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    I can't speak for OP, but I read their message as asking the opposite, i.e. "if he's gay, isn't he less likely to have abused a woman" (I know the answer to that is "no").

    I can't speak for OP, but I read their message as asking the opposite, i.e. "if he's gay, isn't he less likely to have abused a woman" (I know the answer to that is "no").

    25 votes
  12. Comment on What significant dates from fiction have we reached? in ~books

    Arlen
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    Also, the Eugenics wars were between 1992 and 1996, and Khan was born in 1959, and put his people in suspended animation on the Botany Bay in 1996.

    Also, the Eugenics wars were between 1992 and 1996, and Khan was born in 1959, and put his people in suspended animation on the Botany Bay in 1996.

    7 votes
  13. Comment on Ten films about the immigrant experience in ~movies

    Arlen
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    This sparked a memory of a movie I've looked for in the past with no luck. I'm not sure if this is the right place (I asked on /r/tipofmytongue once, and got nowhere), but given it's at least...

    This sparked a memory of a movie I've looked for in the past with no luck. I'm not sure if this is the right place (I asked on /r/tipofmytongue once, and got nowhere), but given it's at least tangentially related, I thought I'd give it a shot. And hey, if someone recognizes it, then we have 11 films about the immigrant experience.

    Edit: It was Molly's Pilgrim - the "fishes" scene is at about 2:50, and thus ends a 30+ year long mystery for me.

    I can't remember what it's called (obviously), but what I do remember was:

    • It was about a Russian (possibly eastern European?) girl, maybe 10-12 years old, who moved to the West - either America or the UK, I don't recall - but I'm leaning toward London for some reason.
    • I saw it probably some time in the early 1990s, so I'm guessing it was made some time between 1985-1995.
    • A couple scenes that stick out in my head in particular are one of the girl being laughed at in school for saying "fishes" instead of "fish" as the plural (difficulties learning English), and I think some sort of subplot involving getting a Christmas gift for someone.
    3 votes
  14. Comment on Superman | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    Arlen
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    I don't wanna be the "actually" guy here, but that was Lex Luthor Jr., not the Lex Luthor most people are familiar with. Good for them for trying to take a different direction with their...

    I don't wanna be the "actually" guy here, but that was Lex Luthor Jr., not the Lex Luthor most people are familiar with. Good for them for trying to take a different direction with their Superman's arch-nemesis, but the movie obviously wasn't clear enough about that key detail. It's a sentiment I've heard a lot of, "they messed up Lex's character," and that just speaks to the lack of communication on the movie's part.

    3 votes
  15. Comment on Superman | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    Arlen
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    The whole movie, to be honest. It wouldn't have made the movie any better in a vacuum, but the fun of getting that surprise, and the implicit promise that further entries in the franchise could...

    The whole movie, to be honest. It wouldn't have made the movie any better in a vacuum, but the fun of getting that surprise, and the implicit promise that further entries in the franchise could hold similar treats, may have been able to keep people excited about the DCEU. I know it was only the second movie in the series, but it really seemed like it cost them any goodwill had been built up by Man of Steel.

    I've just counted and there were a shocking fourteen movies that followed, but I can't remember the general public being very excited for more than a couple of those.

    2 votes
  16. Comment on Superman | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    Arlen
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    I think if Batman vs Superman hadn't revealed Wonder Woman and Doomsday in the trailer, it would have been a lot better received.

    I think if Batman vs Superman hadn't revealed Wonder Woman and Doomsday in the trailer, it would have been a lot better received.

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Do any of you use Hulu? Looking for shows that entertain adults but a 7 year old can be in the room. in ~tv

    Arlen
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    Beyond that, it's extremely violent. It's one of my favorite shows, but we absolutely do not let our kid anywhere near it.

    Beyond that, it's extremely violent. It's one of my favorite shows, but we absolutely do not let our kid anywhere near it.

    1 vote
  18. Comment on Superman | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    Arlen
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    If James Gunn has proved anything it's that he can successfully balance emotional beats with fun moments, while allowing the former room to breathe, which is my one real complaint about Marvel's...

    If James Gunn has proved anything it's that he can successfully balance emotional beats with fun moments, while allowing the former room to breathe, which is my one real complaint about Marvel's films in general (I'm big enough to admit my fanboyism makes me overlook any of their other faults).

    If he can make viewers emotionally invested in characters like Polka-Dot Man and Rocket Raccoon, I have no doubt that this movie is going to have some fantastic character work.

    13 votes
  19. Comment on Weird game "Catly" revealed at The Game Awards might be some kind of AI generated grift or scam in ~games

  20. Comment on What long standalone book is worth its page count? in ~books

    Arlen
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    The first section of Fairy Tale was a wonderful example of this.

    "pleasant young people patiently look after cranky elderly men,"

    The first section of Fairy Tale was a wonderful example of this.

    2 votes