Bullmaestro's recent activity
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Comment on All the Eurovision songs are out. Let's talk about them! in ~music
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Comment on Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster released on Steam in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkI know this is meant to be a remaster of a Nintendo 3DS game but damn, some of these character models, environment objects and maps look bad. I wouldn't have even minded if they did what the FFIX...I know this is meant to be a remaster of a Nintendo 3DS game but damn, some of these character models, environment objects and maps look bad. I wouldn't have even minded if they did what the FFIX Moguri Mod developer did, put some of the textures and background environments through stable diffusion algorithms and manually redrew inconsistent areas and layer edges.
Makes me wonder just how weak Nintendo's handheld system really was.
I remember a reason why the Ice Climbers were cut from Super Smash Bros 4's roster was because Sakurai's team couldn't get them to work properly on the 3DS (they wanted roster parity between the 3DS and Wii U versions for some reason, despite neither platform having crossplay.) And that has me questioning how they couldn't get a character from a then-13 year old game to function. My only guess is that the 3DS has an inferior clock speed and VRAM compared to the Gamecube, and has the additional stress of needing to render double the frames just to achieve the system's stereoscopic 3D effect.
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Comment on Digg has shutdown (again) in ~tech
Bullmaestro LinkOh the irony. Digg were the ones who were trying to innovate with AI slop and ultimately created a dead platform with only a few dozen active users. I think it was AI overviews being pushed upon a...Oh the irony. Digg were the ones who were trying to innovate with AI slop and ultimately created a dead platform with only a few dozen active users. I think it was AI overviews being pushed upon a Reddit clone that had no competitive edge and fewer features compared to it, Lemmy, Snapzu, even Tildes.
I kinda feel bad for Kevin Rose. He became the poster-child for Silicon Valley during Digg's peak, and part of me thinks this led to him making bad decision after bad decision, like rejecting buyout proposals from bigger tech firms, or trying to innovate with new platforms like Revision3, TechTV and my persional favourite Pownce - a Twitter clone focused around filesharing which had worse filesize limitations than a certain technology that had existed for nearly two decades at that point called email.
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Comment on What radicalized you? in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link ParentI agree that we could easily provide for both. But that would involve electing a government that is willing to embark upon a massive housebuilding programme. With how many MPs are landlords...First, I think that you are drawing a conclusion here that providing support to immigrants and citizens is not inherently compatible, and that it can only be 'one or the other.' I think that there exists a form of government policy that can simultaneously provide for both refugees and citizens with their needs. I think that it is in the interests of people in Power, regardless of political alignment, to not provide that. That's not even factoring in, say, the treaty obligations of the UK towards refugees.
I agree that we could easily provide for both. But that would involve electing a government that is willing to embark upon a massive housebuilding programme. With how many MPs are landlords (especially in the Labour and Conservative parties) with an obvious conflict-of-interest in doing something that would lower their property values and rental incomes, it's clear to see why we've never addressed this after Thatcher abolished Right to Buy.
Finally, I think that you are dehumanizing refugees, and I personally would like to evaluate that. Have you personally interacted or spent time in your community with refugees and immigrants?
Refugees? Apart from one or two Ukrainians who fled over Russia's invasion, I haven't.
To my knowledge, there is a Britannia Hotel in my city where asylum seekers have been housed temporarily since COVID pending application review. That hotel is pretty much closed off to the public for understandable safety reasons, especially as Bristol has been the site of a few right-wing protests.
Immigrants? Absolutely. I've met a lot of people not originally from the UK from all over the place, including Ghana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Germany, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, China, Hong Kong, Slovakia, the Philippines, Hungary, Poland, Cyprus, Qatar, Lebanon, the USA, Canada and a few other places.
But they won't. The labour party isn't going to fix the economic problems. Kier Starmer has long since abandoned any political ideals he had. Having a political football like immigration is ultimately just a part of neoliberalism. I agree that something needs to be done, but this is as much an issue of distraction from actual issues and rhetoric than an actual problem with immigration.
I don't think any party has a particualrly great solution, especially not Reform UK, Advance UK or Restore Britain.
The best is probably the Green Party, but I think their open border policy is going to lead to skyrocketing international competition for an already stretched job market. Their foreign policy of denuclearisation is also unthinkable when we're in the midst of a proxy war with Russia.
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Comment on What radicalized you? in ~talk
Bullmaestro (edited )LinkI wouldn't say radicalized but my views on immigration have changed substantially due to the current situation in my country. Firstly, a bit of a history lesson. In 2016, we voted (by a 52% to 48%...I wouldn't say radicalized but my views on immigration have changed substantially due to the current situation in my country.
Firstly, a bit of a history lesson. In 2016, we voted (by a 52% to 48% vote) via referendum to leave the European Union, but we didn't actually leave until 31st January 2020. The vote was largely fuelled by immigration, especially when you look at the spike in hate crimes against Poles and Eastern Europeans that occurred after the result came out.
The Tories won a huge electoral landslide in late 2019, in large part because Boris Johnson promised to "get Brexit done", which he did. The thing is, Boris was never anti-immigration. Millions of new arrivals came into the country in what has been dubbed the Boriswave. We've seen net migration figures far higher than at any time where we've been in the EU.
Another thing Boris Johnson did was use hotels as temporary accommodation to house asylum seekers, with one of the main benefactors of this being Britannia Hotels. The use of asylum hotels has cost us billions each year, which could have gone into building more social housing instead. They are now slowly being phased out, but now seekers are being housed in newly-built council homes. The government denies this but multiple news sources have found that this is a lie.
Fast-forward to 2026 nearly two years into Keir Starmer's tenure. We have an employment crisis (especially with entry and graduate level roles), a housing crisis, a cost of living crisis, and Starmer, being the cosplay-Tory that he is, has not put in the changes needed to improve things.
Is it fair that we roll out the red carpet for anybody here arriving on a small dinghy whilst we fail to look after our own citizens? This is where Labour and the Conservatives have failed, and what has people split between the far left (do the humanitarian thing and build more homes for everyone) and far right (shut the borders.)
While I do feel for the plight of those fleeing famine, poverty, persecution and war, we need to fix our economic problems first, otherwise we run the serious risk of voting in a right-wing populist government. And that would be a horrible thing.
Unfortunately, the only parties here endorsing left-wing and socialist policies are also the ones who want open borders.
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
Bullmaestro LinkShit like this is why upgrading or replacing the RAM in my computer now costs thousands of pounds. Also, Moltbook seem to have changed their logo slightly, this article and their Wikipedia page...Shit like this is why upgrading or replacing the RAM in my computer now costs thousands of pounds.
Also, Moltbook seem to have changed their logo slightly, this article and their Wikipedia page use an old one which resembles a lobster Snoo. I wonder if they did this after getting a legal threat from Reddit.
Why am I not vibe coding dogshit apps and websites? If this guy can get a potentially multi-million dollar payout from a big tech firm with an idea as asinine as an agentic AI Reddit clone, so can I!
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Comment on What are people using instead of VS Code? in ~comp
Bullmaestro LinkI would have said Notepad++ for a lightweight code editor, but their update servers got compromised by a state actor, likely from China. But also oof, it's Windows only.I would have said Notepad++ for a lightweight code editor, but their update servers got compromised by a state actor, likely from China.
But also oof, it's Windows only.
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Comment on How's everyone doing? in ~talk
Bullmaestro LinkStill not feeling great. Caught an illness and I've had a sore throat since last night along with really itchy and watery eyes. It could be an allergy or something could have ended up stuck in my...Still not feeling great. Caught an illness and I've had a sore throat since last night along with really itchy and watery eyes. It could be an allergy or something could have ended up stuck in my eye.
I've gone back into the process of applying for jobs but all I've had so far is radio silence. Recruiters aren't putting me forward for any roles, and as much as I don't regret quitting my last position which was in Cheltenham, it's still disheartening that I cannot find a job in Bristol. That situation may be changing though.
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My former boss from several years has finally started advertising her practice on socials (they've been running for the past five years) and part of me thinks that this is a push to get more clients and potentially expand the team again. I would definitely work for her again in a heartbeat.
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I have been through two interview stages and an Excel assessment (finished 3 mins late and with two wrong answers out of ten) with a security consultancy firm. If by some miracle I make it through this stage, I'll be going for an interview in-person. Working in an office-based role doesn't really bother me, I've found working from home to be an increasingly big headache because of my dad.
Other than that, I'm really concerned about a relatively close friend of mine. She has CFS/ME and her condition has been getting worse going from mild to moderate. She's also had constant headaches and has found herself getting increasingly and intensely angry at things, and is concerned that there is something seriously wrong with her, like a brain tumour.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkI have sunk about 40 hours into Megabonk over the past few days. It is by far one of the most jank and poorly balanced roguelike survival games I've played. There are a lot of things I don't like...I have sunk about 40 hours into Megabonk over the past few days. It is by far one of the most jank and poorly balanced roguelike survival games I've played. There are a lot of things I don't like about it, such as the absurd difficulty, the Big Rigs-like broken English the game taunts you with when you die, the fact that some of the minibosses have really stupid names like "Scorpionussy", the other fact that the game's leaderboards are filled with people pulling off Goldiloks runs where they get meta weapons, the four mandatory tomes which are XP (level gain), Luck (better Shrine upgrades), Cursed (increased enemy amount and stats upto 600%, a.k.a. also more XP gain) and Chaos (random stat gain per level), and optimal stat/item upgrades from chests, Luck being inconsistent and not working as a stat at times. The list goes on.
Megabonk is like a car crash of straight-up bad game design choices. The Forest stage alone has at least two cheap enemy types that pose run-killing threats, including zombies that are both tankier than your average mob and move absurdly fast, and an exploding bug mob resembling Banelings from SC2 which have an explosion radius that almost matches the range of base unupgraded melee weapons, making them a bastard to kite on any melee character like Ogre or Sir Oofie.
As much as I hate this game at times, it's strangely addicting.
On a different note, I have been playing a bit of Sonic Superstars and I don't yet understand why it gets so much hate. Arzest have done a good job so far. It plays like a classic Sonic game, has a decent roster and has even tried something new with the level designs and Chaos Emerald powers.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
Bullmaestro LinkAs bad as this is going to sound: Life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not feeling suicidal in any way, but life has been a huge downer at times since I reached adulthood. The job market in my country...As bad as this is going to sound: Life.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not feeling suicidal in any way, but life has been a huge downer at times since I reached adulthood. The job market in my country (England) now is absolutely dire and this is the second time I've gone into further/higher education just to end up having my job prospects obliterated. First, it was the lack of graduate jobs, then when I spend a few years in customer service, pivot towards accountancy and spend years and thousands of pounds to obtain recognised qualifications, there's now an all-time low amount of vacancies in finance and accountancy. We're one of the professions quickly being replaced with AI...
My employment prospects (or lack thereof) despite having a university degree and accountancy qualifications is just part of why life has been so depressing lately. But a decent, well-paying and permanent job can go some way towards addressing the other things going wrong in my life.
On a more specific subject, World of Warcraft
Midnight is the first expansion I haven't bought and have no real desire to go back to. I just feel incredibly weary of getting back into the game, especially given the elitism, hostility and overall toxicity of the game's community. If there was a decent solo queue option for Mythic+ dungeons and competitive raiding, I'd certainly consider buying Midnight, but as things stand, I really don't give a shit about the player housing additions.
Likewise, as much as I could pay £50 to boost a character to 58, level through TBC Classic and finally experience TBC raiding for the first time, what I stated above also applies to Classic WoW. People have found ways to gatekeep 20 year old game content.
Rav (A League of Legends content creator who has also been playing Classic TBC and Hardcore) released a video on retail WoW and his experience of joining a dungeon group, being called a dogshit healer, then being votekicked out of a Nokhud Offensive Normal group by people too dimwitted to genuinely right-click one of the three harpoon launchers surrounding the boss and interrupt the Eruption channel which otherwise does unhealable levels of damage, pretty much sums up how WoW's community is a textbook study of the Dunning-Krueger effect in action.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link ParentSame sentiment from Britain. Fifteen years ago I would have jumped at the chance to visit or move to the USA. Now I really don't want anything to do with the country, I don't fancy the chances of...Same sentiment from Britain.
Fifteen years ago I would have jumped at the chance to visit or move to the USA. Now I really don't want anything to do with the country, I don't fancy the chances of being detained or deported because I typed some mean things about Trump, Vance or ICE online.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link ParentI've looked more into the comments she been making on gender and trans issues and yeah, she's increasingly gone off the deep end. Rowling is part of the reason I haven't even tried Hogwarts...I've looked more into the comments she been making on gender and trans issues and yeah, she's increasingly gone off the deep end.
Rowling is part of the reason I haven't even tried Hogwarts Legacy, with the other part being the doxxing and harassment people got for even playing it, especially streamers. I remember the hate mob that Pikamee got forced her into retirement.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link ParentLegends Arceus was the only game that I think changed up the formula. Then Game Freak regressed on the open world danger aspects with Scarlet/Violet and showed us why Legends Arceus was open-zone...Legends Arceus was the only game that I think changed up the formula. Then Game Freak regressed on the open world danger aspects with Scarlet/Violet and showed us why Legends Arceus was open-zone only, because that game had serious performance issues that only playing on the Switch 2 resolves.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link ParentSquare Enix killed it with all the spinoff games (that are required to understand the increasingly convoluted lore) and the multi-generational wait for Kingdom Hearts III. Even KH2 felt like it...Square Enix killed it with all the spinoff games (that are required to understand the increasingly convoluted lore) and the multi-generational wait for Kingdom Hearts III.
Even KH2 felt like it was only better in terms of combat, with everything else being a straight downgrade.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link ParentI remember when NIN released The Slip for free as a publicity stunt and it was easily the shittiest album I've ever heard. I think I stopped listening by the time I reached Letting You because...I remember when NIN released The Slip for free as a publicity stunt and it was easily the shittiest album I've ever heard. I think I stopped listening by the time I reached Letting You because that track sounds like distorted static.
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Comment on GameDate: An anonymous LFG forum for 'dead' games in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkThe interface reminds me a lot of Steam, and I mean the original ugly olive green interface from 2005 that any of the OG Valve fans would remember. That choice feels deliberate...The interface reminds me a lot of Steam, and I mean the original ugly olive green interface from 2005 that any of the OG Valve fans would remember. That choice feels deliberate...
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Comment on Motorola and GrapheneOS Foundation partnership announced in ~tech
Bullmaestro LinkMay need to upgrade my OnePlus 9 Pro eventually, which has served me well for the past 4.5 years. It's not in the worst state, a few minor cosmetic scratches on the screen that are only really...May need to upgrade my OnePlus 9 Pro eventually, which has served me well for the past 4.5 years.
It's not in the worst state, a few minor cosmetic scratches on the screen that are only really noticeable when you squint in light, a battery that spends about half the time at 1% because the OS can't properly read it, other than that it's been smooth sailing and easily the best state a phone of mine has been in.
Maybe Motorola will be my next pick. I'm not a fan of being wholly stuck to the Google ecosystem but I'm also so invested in Android that I don't particularly want an iPhone.
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Comment on Living human brain cells play DOOM on a CL1 in ~tech
Bullmaestro LinkI have serious reservations about this. Imagine being brought into this world and you're just a series of human brain cells spread on a circuit board and tasked with playing DOOM.I have serious reservations about this. Imagine being brought into this world and you're just a series of human brain cells spread on a circuit board and tasked with playing DOOM.
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Comment on Scary Movie (2026) | Official trailer in ~movies
Bullmaestro LinkJason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (two of the six writers of the original Scary Movie, who thankfully fucked off from the industry 11 years ago and aren't involved in this) kinda killed the entire...Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (two of the six writers of the original Scary Movie, who thankfully fucked off from the industry 11 years ago and aren't involved in this) kinda killed the entire parody film genre for me by releasing shitty film after shitty film.
I mean this doesn't look anywhere near as bad as Date Movie, Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans or Vampires Suck did, but I didn't find the trailer particularly funny. The reception is definitely positive on YouTube, but I think this is coming from people who are praying this will be on the same level as the first two.
My only hope for this film is that they brought the Wayans brothers back as writers. If they're confident enough in it that they've dropped the "6" and framed it as a full reboot, maybe it'll be good.
Also hoping this isn't all the "funny" moments we'll see, because they were not that good, and producers have a very bad habit of cramming all the funny moments into a trailer and leaving no surprises. The worst example of this I can think of is a parody B-movie I watched a few years ago called FDR American Badass. Don't let the trailer fool you, the movie was so bad that when I brought it over for a film night, we didn't even make it thirty minutes in before we had to switch it off...
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (March 2026) in ~health.mental
Bullmaestro Link ParentI definitely was standing up for him. It's not that I feel worried I upset his dad because I didn't (it sounds like they fell out over other things.) More worried I may have painted someone else...I definitely was standing up for him. It's not that I feel worried I upset his dad because I didn't (it sounds like they fell out over other things.) More worried I may have painted someone else we knew as a transphobe - don't particularly want to drag others into conflict.
I couldn't even make it a minute into my country's song.
Look Mum No Computer deserves nil points just for dipping a biscuit into a cup of baked beans alone. And I haven't even gone into how bad the actual song is.