artvandelay's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
artvandelay LinkRecently baked some chocolate banana bread! I'm slowly going through a 5lb bag of flour I bought and I had some leftover super ripe bananas. I've heard many times to bake banana bread if you've...Recently baked some chocolate banana bread! I'm slowly going through a 5lb bag of flour I bought and I had some leftover super ripe bananas. I've heard many times to bake banana bread if you've got ripe bananas leftover but I usually eat my bananas by then. This time, I had some ripe bananas leftover after my parents bought some while they were visiting and didn't eat them all before they left. I was following an online recipe that then said to add chocolate chips at the end. I then thought to myself, what if I just add cocoa powder instead? I mixed some dutch cocoa powder into my batter and then baked it in a quarter sheet tray. The result was a cakey brownie-like bread that's just addicting. I managed to quickly go through my small tray in just a few days. I ran out of bananas so I can't make it again this week but I will definitely be making it again in the future.
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Comment on What's an itch you were finally able to scratch? in ~talk
artvandelay LinkI'm always curious about all kinds of tech. I'm fairly locked in on my phone, tablet and laptop but I'm always curious about what things from other brands feel like to use. So to scratch my...I'm always curious about all kinds of tech. I'm fairly locked in on my phone, tablet and laptop but I'm always curious about what things from other brands feel like to use. So to scratch my curious itch, I'll buy stuff and try things out for a few months before selling it and moving on.
I think a good example of this itch I scratched recently was folding phones. As I get a lot of use out of my tablet and my phone, the thought of combining the two into one device was attractive to me. So last year I bought a used Galaxy Z Fold 4 in decent condition and used it for the summer. Unfortunately, I found the experience to not be as exciting as I expected. I just didn't use the inner screen as much as I thought I would and I found Samsung's software to be kinda rough in terms of how buggy it was. My experiment ended after the summer and I recouped most of what I paid for the phone.
Another example is compact tablets. When I last upgraded my tablet, I went from a standard 10in iPad to a bigger 12in Samsung since one of my main use cases was media consumption and a bigger screen was more attractive to me. However, a coworker was selling their iPad Mini 6 recently for cheap so I decided to pick it up and try it. I definitely miss having an iPad and the smaller size is nice and portable. It's definitely got me looking at iPads again but I think I'll wait until my Samsung really gets on my nerves before upgrading.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentI think someone in another comment mentioned that the base MSRP was targeted to be $750 so there's definitely a massive premium right now because of memory and SSD prices unfortunately.I think someone in another comment mentioned that the base MSRP was targeted to be $750 so there's definitely a massive premium right now because of memory and SSD prices unfortunately.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentI imagine it's just simpler for Valve. They've already got a supplier and code to handle the microSD card reader on the Steam Deck and they can just use all of that with the Steam Machine, having...I imagine it's just simpler for Valve. They've already got a supplier and code to handle the microSD card reader on the Steam Deck and they can just use all of that with the Steam Machine, having done all the other engineering.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
artvandelay LinkI've been continuing to re-watch Game of Thrones. During my initial watch years ago, I only watched seasons 1-6 but this time I'm finally watching Season 7 & 8 for the first time. I haven't...I've been continuing to re-watch Game of Thrones. During my initial watch years ago, I only watched seasons 1-6 but this time I'm finally watching Season 7 & 8 for the first time. I haven't finished season 7 yet but man, it feel like such a downgrade from the previous season already. The pacing is already noticeably faster, things have shifted away from the politics that made the early seasons so good, and the characters just feel completely different. I'm going to stick with it so I can join in on the outrage against season 7 and 8, albeit 7 years late.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentYeah for a variety of Apple products I've bought over the years, I've also only bought the base model for the same reasons. It's insane to me that Apple were able to hold off on increasing their...Yeah for a variety of Apple products I've bought over the years, I've also only bought the base model for the same reasons. It's insane to me that Apple were able to hold off on increasing their prices due to the RAM/SSD cost increases purely because their margins were so large.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentYeah Apple really don't want you to do any internal upgrades, which is really frustrating given how great the rest of the system is. I feel like at a minimum SSD upgrades should be more easily...Yeah Apple really don't want you to do any internal upgrades, which is really frustrating given how great the rest of the system is. I feel like at a minimum SSD upgrades should be more easily doable on the M-series Macs. I can get the RAM not being user upgradable given their unified architecture (though I've got my eye on LPCAMM2 modules) but SSDs not being easily upgradable sucks.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentCompletely fair. I've never really dug too much into my OS to get it working exactly how I want it, which I guess is why I gravitate to macOS. I do agree Apple's walled garden does get annoying at...Completely fair. I've never really dug too much into my OS to get it working exactly how I want it, which I guess is why I gravitate to macOS. I do agree Apple's walled garden does get annoying at times and there are still some frustrating omissions in macOS that seem to always require a $20 indie dev application to fix.
Linux UX has improved greatly though in the last 10 years so I'm excited to see where it goes in the next 10 years. I still use a lot of cross-platform applications specifically to prevent me from being locked into Apple's platform.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentYeah I'm in the opposite boat here in terms of macOS. I've been using my MacBook more than my Linux PC mainly because I just find the overall user experience to be a bit nicer. I've gotten used to...Yeah I'm in the opposite boat here in terms of macOS. I've been using my MacBook more than my Linux PC mainly because I just find the overall user experience to be a bit nicer. I've gotten used to using Raycast, macOS's trackpad gestures, and more. The gaming I do is limited to Minecraft and other games from between 2010-2017 so everything runs just fine.
My Linux experience has been neutral to positive. I do run into issues with Nvidia every now and then but it's been super stable for the most part. I think if/when I do eventually switch away from an iPhone + MacBook, I'd use my Linux PC more and more.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentYeah I called out the .00 prices to sorta spark discussion on this. I hate the .99 pricing tactics that are done. I think I've gotten to a point where I mostly don't see the price by its strict...Yeah I called out the .00 prices to sorta spark discussion on this. I hate the .99 pricing tactics that are done. I think I've gotten to a point where I mostly don't see the price by its strict dollar amount and spend the extra cognitive cycles to round up the price. It was annoying at first but helps me see through these annoying business tactics in some places.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentI think anything around $500 was always going to be impossible but $750-800 is more what I was expecting. I'd imagine that RAM and SSD costs are a big driver in the 4 figure price tag. I was...I think anything around $500 was always going to be impossible but $750-800 is more what I was expecting. I'd imagine that RAM and SSD costs are a big driver in the 4 figure price tag. I was mentioning in another comment how 32GB RAM kits that I remember seeing for $120 are literally triple that and 1TB NVMe SSDs I remember seeing for $60-70 are now $160-70 minimum.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentI've had the same thought recently as well. I've got a mid-sized tower with roughly the same specs as the Steam Machine but my gaming is quite limited these days so I don't use it much. It'd be...There are occasionally days where I dream of downsizing my daily driver PC
I've had the same thought recently as well. I've got a mid-sized tower with roughly the same specs as the Steam Machine but my gaming is quite limited these days so I don't use it much. It'd be cool to have this thing hooked up to my TV to play my games alongside my consoles.
For a brief period I even thought about going to the dark side completely and just getting a Mac mini since the games I run would run fine under macOS too. I've held off since I don't feel like first spending the money to get another PC and then going through the effort of selling my existing one haha.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentYeah the packaging for this is super impressive. In terms of upgrades, I remember Valve confirming that the RAM and SSD will be upgradable. The RAM is just standard SODIMM slots and the SSD is a...Yeah the packaging for this is super impressive.
In terms of upgrades, I remember Valve confirming that the RAM and SSD will be upgradable. The RAM is just standard SODIMM slots and the SSD is a standard NVMe slot, taking in both 2230 and 2280 drives.
I think in terms of performance, I imagine it'd be roughly the same as PCs in its price point. I built a PC with roughly the same specs on paper as the upgraded config in 2023 and I can imagine that building the same now would be about the same price if not a bit more expensive given RAM and SSD costs.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay Link ParentYeah RAM and storage prices are just insane at the moment. I remember seeing 1TB NVMe SSDs for well under 100 bucks just a few years ago and now they're easily $150+. Same with RAM as you...Yeah RAM and storage prices are just insane at the moment. I remember seeing 1TB NVMe SSDs for well under 100 bucks just a few years ago and now they're easily $150+. Same with RAM as you mentioned. 32GB kits I remember seeing at $120 are now like $350. It's absolute insanity.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
artvandelay LinkI remember there being a lot of speculation on the Steam Machine pricing earlier and it seems like it's finally been unveiled. There's 4 configurations on the site, 2 with a controller included...I remember there being a lot of speculation on the Steam Machine pricing earlier and it seems like it's finally been unveiled. There's 4 configurations on the site, 2 with a controller included and 2 without.
Base model starts at $1049.00 (not .99) and comes with 512GB of storage space in an all black look. You can get a controller bundled for a total price of $1128.00.
The upgraded config is $1349.00 and comes with 2TB of storage and includes two additional faceplates, red fabric and solid walnut. You can also then bundle in a controller for a total price of $1428.00.
All configs come with the same base hardware:
- Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C/12T CPU
- Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs
- 16GB DDR5 with dedicated 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
- microSD card slot
- Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Gigabit Ethernet
- Integrated Steam controller wireless adapter
Honestly, really solid pricing overall! I don't know why I was hoping for it to be below $1k but the pricing seems solid for what you get. If I hadn't built a tower in 2023, I'd absolutely get this to be my gaming/main PC.
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Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
artvandelay LinkI watched two movies this week: The Furious (2025) and Backrooms (2026). The Furious (2025) - 7.5/10 This is a solid action movie! I went into it knowing nothing but I always enjoy these types of...I watched two movies this week: The Furious (2025) and Backrooms (2026).
The Furious (2025) - 7.5/10
This is a solid action movie! I went into it knowing nothing but I always enjoy these types of movies so I expected to enjoy it and I did. My criticisms are mainly the plot being a bit weak and predictable, and the dialogue being really basic sometimes, but these two things are not the point of the movie. The fight choreography is the main and perhaps only reason to watch the film. Every fighter's movements and style feel distinct, and the filmmakers clearly put most of their effort into making the combat as good as possible. Definitely recommend watching it.
Backrooms (2026) - 6.5/10
I had high hopes for this movie but wasn't the biggest fan of it. It had some interesting visuals, decent sound, but I found the movie overall to just be meh. The movie really grabbed my attention with the opening scene. It kept my attention as the mystery and intrigue continued to build. Once it got to the third act though things start to decline rapidly and then the movie just sort of ends. It feels like there was so much cut or rewritten out of the movie to the detriment of the story.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
artvandelay LinkHaven't been able to play as well unfortunately. I've just started another round of interview prep and job applications to once again hop as my job has gone to shit in the short 8 months I've been...Haven't been able to play as well unfortunately. I've just started another round of interview prep and job applications to once again hop as my job has gone to shit in the short 8 months I've been here. I've also been doing a lot of stuff around the house that I've put off for a while as I prepare to host some friends during July. Finally, I've been paying more attention to my diet and physical activity to continue my slow weight loss journey. All of this has just left me with little free time to sit down and play Minecraft :(.
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Comment on I almost got hit by a car in ~life
artvandelay Link ParentOh I 100% agree. As we've normalized driving to be the main (and in many places only) mode of transportation, we've given too much grace to drivers. It's still insane to me that if you murder...When everyone around you tries to gaslight you into thinking driver's behavior is acceptable, the apropriate level of aggression can seem too high to those who identify as drivers.
Oh I 100% agree. As we've normalized driving to be the main (and in many places only) mode of transportation, we've given too much grace to drivers. It's still insane to me that if you murder someone deliberately, you can get life in prison. But if you murder someone while in your car and claim that you had a lapse in focus, you can get off easy and only spend like a year in prison.
My home server upgrades are finally done! For anyone who hasn't been following along, I'd been slowly working on expanding my home server's capacity after I realized my simple 4TB RAID array was almost full. I bought 2x12TB WD Ultrastar drives and more RAM. After some hiccups, I finally got everything installed and running late last week. I did a quick migration of my data with rsync and everything's working just fine now.
I've also set up Immich on my server. I've long wanted to move away from Google Photos so my family can stop paying for Google One (since everyone else in my family uses Apple iCloud instead). Instead of moving to another big tech cloud platform, I wanted my own cloud so as part of my server upgrades I also set up Immich. I reused my existing 4TB drives, putting them in a ZFS pool this time and migrated the ~100GB of images/videos I had on Google Photos. So far it's working great! I'm going to keep both platforms running for maybe the next 6 months to ensure that Immich works just as well as GPhotos for me and then I'll eventually migrate off it completely.