CaptainMeme's recent activity
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
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Comment on Looking for audio recording advice in ~hobbies
CaptainMeme Link ParentThe video you sent made me realise I have the Yeti set to the wrong setting - the one that looks like a figure-8 instead of the dented circle. So that's one change I'm going to make! Also going to...The video you sent made me realise I have the Yeti set to the wrong setting - the one that looks like a figure-8 instead of the dented circle. So that's one change I'm going to make!
Also going to try to see if I can reasonably get closer to the mic without being too close to the screen. I guess I need to look into mic arms for this.What is EQ exactly, sorry? I know embarrassingly little about all of this!
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Comment on Looking for audio recording advice in ~hobbies
CaptainMeme Link ParentMy desk is a bit low, so it's possible I was talking into the top of it. I'll stack the mic on some books or something. I'm not sure I can only be a few inches away though - that would be a bit...My desk is a bit low, so it's possible I was talking into the top of it. I'll stack the mic on some books or something. I'm not sure I can only be a few inches away though - that would be a bit close to the monitor for my liking. Does being further away tend to be a problem?
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Comment on Looking for audio recording advice in ~hobbies
CaptainMeme Link ParentI do have clothes racks, I can try this - thank you! Quick question on that front - I assume they don't need to be against the walls, they just need to enclose the recording area (which would be a...I do have clothes racks, I can try this - thank you!
Quick question on that front - I assume they don't need to be against the walls, they just need to enclose the recording area (which would be a lot easier since the room is very large)?
Does there also need to be something between me and the ceiling? -
Looking for audio recording advice
Some background here - I have a niche YouTube channel, mostly doing longform (often 3+ hour) commentaries on a board game with a friend. We're both very skilled at the game and are apparently...
Some background here - I have a niche YouTube channel, mostly doing longform (often 3+ hour) commentaries on a board game with a friend. We're both very skilled at the game and are apparently entertaining to listen to, but it's all very amateur - I don't really know anything about videomaking except what I've picked up as I go.
That had never really been an issue, because the topic is so niche that only people really interested in the game watch, and they didn't really mind. But last year we got a shout-out from a big YouTuber and the subscriber count has gone up a lot since, to the point where it feels like I really should figure out how to make it a little less amateurish.
I want to start with audio, because that's 90% of what we do. But I don't even know where to start with it.
I got Blue Yetis for both of us a few years ago because I was vaguely aware that was a good mic, but if anything it made it slightly worse than just using headsets (quite a bit more echoey) - I don't know if that was a mistake, and if there are better mics to go for?
I'm also aware that you're supposed to have some kind of padding on the walls to stop the echoing, but that isn't really feasible for me both because I rent, and because all the rooms of the apartment I'm in are absolutely massive. I've heard that you can throw a blanket over your head, which I've tried for a short video but I absolutely couldn't handle for a three hour one. I'm lost on how to solve that too.
If anyone here knows much about it, I'd love either direct advice about it or a recommendation for how/where to learn about this stuff. It's super appreciated!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
CaptainMeme LinkI've been playing Chroma Zero after seeing it recommended by the creative lead of my favourite game, Outer Wilds. It's a puzzle game, but is supposedly designed around discovery, in a similar way...I've been playing Chroma Zero after seeing it recommended by the creative lead of my favourite game, Outer Wilds. It's a puzzle game, but is supposedly designed around discovery, in a similar way to OW.
I'm not certain how well that comparison really works. Outer Wilds, at least to start, felt a lot like a 'lets go out there and see what we find' game. Chroma Zero feels more like a game of scientific experimentation. There's a ton of mysterious interactive objects around, and the game has thus far been interacting with them and observing changes, and trying to figure out from that what the rules of the world are.
I'm really enjoying it so far though. I won't spoil anything here, but from what I've figured out so far, the world works in a very creative, but still logical, way. And there was one (clearly intended) way I found to exploit the world's rules which felt really good to find.
The only criticism I have so far is that it has a character who talks to you when you reach certain locations and directly reveals certain actions to you, which feels very jarring. I do wish they'd found a way to make you learn those things from the environment instead.
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Comment on What video games would you say have the best stories? Feel free to suggest more than one. in ~games
CaptainMeme Link ParentI'm not someone who often gets all that emotionally involved playing video games, but Outer Wilds really got me invested throughout. I won't be too specific so as to avoid spoilers, but there was...I'm not someone who often gets all that emotionally involved playing video games, but Outer Wilds really got me invested throughout. I won't be too specific so as to avoid spoilers, but there was a moment discovering something in Dark Bramble which brought me to tears.
It feels like a weird answer to this question given how the storytelling works in that game, but it's absolutely a correct one!
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Comment on Steam Replay 2025 in ~games
CaptainMeme LinkMy most played game was a Tildes recommendation! I can't remember who brought up Proverbs here, but thank you to whoever did - it became my go-to relaxation game for a couple months.My most played game was a Tildes recommendation! I can't remember who brought up Proverbs here, but thank you to whoever did - it became my go-to relaxation game for a couple months.
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Comment on The best games of 2025, picked by NPR's staff in ~games
CaptainMeme LinkSultan's Game being on here is interesting; I have really conflicting feelings about that game. It was really intriguing and I kept wanting to play more to discover more, but a lot of the things...Sultan's Game being on here is interesting; I have really conflicting feelings about that game. It was really intriguing and I kept wanting to play more to discover more, but a lot of the things you can do are immoral to the point of making me feel seriously uncomfortable playing it at all.
That's more or less the point of the narrative, I think - the Sultan is trying to force you to commit horrifying acts, and just carrying out said acts while you're trying to figure out your escape route is always the easiest path. So the challenge of the game really comes from the moral lines you refuse to cross, when you refuse to take the easy path. And the fact the game goes so far with what it tries to make you do is what makes that effective... but it also feels like the game itself crosses a line on certain topics.
Anyway, long ramble - I'm surprised to see it recommended in a list like this, although I think it's a good game. There are a lot of other games on this list I haven't heard of that look super interesting - thank you for sharing!
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Comment on The almost forgotten Japanese-American truce at Aka in ~humanities.history
CaptainMeme LinkI'm not usually one to post topics on Tildes, but this article hit me in the feels. It's not something I'd heard of and I'm glad the story is being shared.I'm not usually one to post topics on Tildes, but this article hit me in the feels. It's not something I'd heard of and I'm glad the story is being shared.
A fragile truce near the end of one of the bloodiest land battles of World War Two saw US and Japanese soldiers suspend their fighting and sit down together... for a picnic. According to the Newcastle University professor who helped research it, the event deserves much greater recognition.
For decades, the event was little known beyond the memories of those who were there.
But in 2004 Japanese University lecturer Hiroshi Sakai, then a newspaper reporter, was sitting on a plane next to an elderly couple who explained they had been children on Aka during the war.
"I asked them if they had endured terrible experiences," he said, but they explained that American and Japanese soldiers had held talks which had led to a state of ceasefire.
Prof Sakai said he had been "astonished".
The Battle of Okinawa saw massive casualties on both sides, including many civilians.
In June 1945, United States Lt Col George Clark was tasked with securing Aka where a Japanese garrison was based.
He assembled a small team of American officers, along with Japanese prisoners of war who agreed to cooperate in the hope of saving lives.
They spent several days circumnavigating the island, using loudspeakers to broadcast appeals to surrender.
Eventually the garrison commander, Major Yoshihiko Noda, indicated he would be willing to talk but only in the presence of Major Yutaka Umezawa, who had been injured and captured by the Americans.
On 26 June, a group of US forces and Major Umezawa landed on the shore, with Japanese soldiers fanned out in the hills above.
The two commanders saluted, put down their weapons and began talking. As the negotiations continued, a roast pork lunch was assembled for everyone and they picnicked together on the beach.
In his official report Lt Col Clark described it as "the most amazing spectacle it has been my lot to behold".
The Japanese said they were unable to surrender, but a truce was agreed.
Before the US troops departed, Lt Col Clark asked if the Japanese "would like to join the group in a prayer to the Supreme Being of all faiths for international understanding and peace", led by the US chaplain, which they agreed to do.
The truce held until the Japanese surrender in August and there was no further loss of life on Aka.
Ms Johnson, who had kept all her father's photographs from the time, believes the story is not better known because neither side were following orders.
The US soldiers failed to secure a surrender and the Japanese soldiers negotiated with the enemy.
Prof Sakai agrees and added: "For the former Japanese military, an unauthorised negotiation constituted an extremely grave breach of military discipline."
"For many years [Lt Col Clark] believed some of the men on the Japanese side had been executed for treason following the truce," Ms Johnson said.
"That's the only time I ever saw my dad cry - when they told him that wasn't true.
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The almost forgotten Japanese-American truce at Aka
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Comment on Queer temperature check: how is everyone doing right now? in ~lgbt
CaptainMeme Link ParentI'm surprised to hear that! Although I guess it makes sense with cities generally leaning that way. The map in the article does show the area I'm in as heavily red, which is about what I expected....I'm surprised to hear that! Although I guess it makes sense with cities generally leaning that way.
The map in the article does show the area I'm in as heavily red, which is about what I expected. I've generally steered clear of politics in conversation, but I know from my fiance that most of his family members (including the ones being very nice to me) vote republican. The impression I'm getting is that most of them don't really follow politics and have just been brought up in a world where voting republican is considered the morally right thing to do. -
Comment on Queer temperature check: how is everyone doing right now? in ~lgbt
CaptainMeme Link ParentThank you! I'm definitely lucky on the family front. I think they weren't always that way, but he came out a very long time ago and they had a lot of time to come to terms with that. I had a...Thank you! I'm definitely lucky on the family front. I think they weren't always that way, but he came out a very long time ago and they had a lot of time to come to terms with that.
I had a conversation with one of his family members who said that their (other) church shouldn't be preaching against gay people when there are murderers out there they could be preaching against instead. Which I wasn't really sure how to respond to! I appreciated the sentiment, but obviously the reasoning being based around homosexuality being a sin doesn't make me feel great.
But considering they've been brought up in those kind of churches with heavily anti-LGBT messaging everywhere, I'm hugely appreciative of them questioning it and coming to a different conclusion. It's not all the way to acceptance, but that's a huge step on the way there. -
Comment on Queer temperature check: how is everyone doing right now? in ~lgbt
CaptainMeme LinkAs of two weeks ago, my long-distance partner of six years is no longer long-distance! I moved from the UK to Texas (yes, I know) to be with him after finally getting the fiancé visa approved. I'm...As of two weeks ago, my long-distance partner of six years is no longer long-distance!
I moved from the UK to Texas (yes, I know) to be with him after finally getting the fiancé visa approved. I'm still a little giddy at us finally being together; the whole thing still feels surreal.
I'm a mixed bag of emotions too, of course. I was nervous as hell coming here because we're in quite a rural area, and it's Texas. I haven't met anyone directly homophobic yet though, at least not to our faces; his family have been awesome, the people we've been contacting to get wedding stuff booked have been fine with everything, and even his church fellowship were pretty nice and accepting. I'm also an indoorsy/introverted person in general though so haven't been meeting many people outside of that.
I'm happy with finally making the leap, and hopeful about the future. I know the country is taking major steps backwards, and I don't want to downplay that at all, but just from a personal perspective I'm happier being with him even though it means we'll have to deal with that. Six years was a long time to be long distance for (especially with covid stopping visits in the middle).
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
CaptainMeme Link ParentI haven't seen many people talk about Paranormasight! It's a super interesting game, although my feeling was that it was pretty frontloaded - it felt like the start of the game was made with a lot...I haven't seen many people talk about Paranormasight!
It's a super interesting game, although my feeling was that it was pretty frontloaded - it felt like the start of the game was made with a lot of good ideas and care, but the rest felt quite rushed. Might just have felt that way because the start set the bar so high, though.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
CaptainMeme LinkI've been playing Overcooked 2 on an Archipelago randomiser; a multiplayer multi-game challenge where everyone's items are scattered across the various games. It's been a challenge! I started out...I've been playing Overcooked 2 on an Archipelago randomiser; a multiplayer multi-game challenge where everyone's items are scattered across the various games.
It's been a challenge! I started out just about scraping one star ratings, and even now that we're getting to the end of it I'm struggling to manage two stars on most levels. I was wondering if the game had always been that hard - I hadn't played a ton of it before - but then discovered that the archipelago mod gives you blunt knives to start, which is why everything was taking forever. And my sharp knives haven't yet been found, so I think 3 star ratings will stay out of reach for the time being.
It's been a tad frustrating at times, but overall a great excuse to hang out with friends online and play a fun game I hadn't touched in years.
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Comment on Do you play games in a play by email format, and if so what are you favorite games? in ~games
CaptainMeme LinkDiplomacy (the 1959 board game) is a game that was mostly PBEM for a very long time - I got into it just as that was tailing off and everything moved to purpose-built websites, though. It's really...Diplomacy (the 1959 board game) is a game that was mostly PBEM for a very long time - I got into it just as that was tailing off and everything moved to purpose-built websites, though. It's really the perfect game for PBEM, since most of the gameplay is correspondence and the orders are all simultaneous, so there's no waiting for your turn to come around.
I've heard of a PBEM game of it that lasted a decade. I think that's mostly because it had very lax deadlines though :D
Before the internet it used to be Played By Mail a lot, which is something I find fascinating and want to try someday!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
CaptainMeme Link ParentI think the idea of the story was to build them up as terrible people to make the eventual redemption arc hit harder, but they did such a good job making the characters awful that they didn't have...I think the idea of the story was to build them up as terrible people to make the eventual redemption arc hit harder, but they did such a good job making the characters awful that they didn't have enough game left to make their transformation believable. So at some point they suddenly start acting completely differently and you're left wondering whether you missed a full act of the story.
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Comment on YouTube’s new ads will ruin the best part of a video on purpose in ~tech
CaptainMeme LinkThis has been really annoying to fight with on the creator side, too. I record super longform video and have always placed the ad slots to be every 30 minutes, because that's what I'm comfortable...This has been really annoying to fight with on the creator side, too. I record super longform video and have always placed the ad slots to be every 30 minutes, because that's what I'm comfortable with.
Initially YT sent an email out saying that they were optimising ad placements in old videos, and if you didn't click the link in that email by a certain date then all old videos would be updated to this system. I did click the link, so avoided this.
And now in new videos, there's a small checkbox saying that you allow YT to add its own ad slots which is always automatically checked - even if you add your own ad slots. I have to disable that every time now. More recently they added little tags to the ad slots telling you how likely they are to work, and for manual ones it pretty much exclusively says they're bad and you'd earn more if you use auto ones.
I suspect at some point they're going to just enforce it. For now though it seems like they're going with the approach of trying to make it annoying to turn off.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
CaptainMeme Link ParentYou can turn off these sponsored links and news stories in your settings tab: Settings -> Home -> Deselect 'Sponsored Shortcuts' and 'Sponsored Stories' Not defending Firefox at all for this, I...You can turn off these sponsored links and news stories in your settings tab:
Settings -> Home -> Deselect 'Sponsored Shortcuts' and 'Sponsored Stories'
Not defending Firefox at all for this, I hate that it's the default and these settings clearly aren't made to be found easily. But a couple clicks and they're gone forever.
I just moved from one of the biggest cities in the UK to a small city in Texas three months ago. The biggest culture shock was definitely trying (and failing) to walk to places.
The pavement (sidewalk) would be fine to start with, so you begin heading in a direction, then it suddenly disappears at a seemingly random point. So then it's time to backtrack and find another route, sometimes one of the backstreets has sidewalk, sometimes they don't, sometimes it randomly disappears again... I managed to find a route to the H.E.B. eventually but it requires crossing to the other side of the main road and then back again, and walking through some car parks.
And speaking of crossing roads - doing that is terrifying here. It's a crossing point with a walk sign and everything but unlike the UK, cars are still allowed to turn while the walk sign is on - gave me a heart attack the first time I was walking across and a car crossed it in front of me. It doesn't help that the roads are enormous, so it feels like you're on that crosswalk forever, and the cars are so big I feel like they can't see me.
I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually, but that's one thing I really hate here. I'm not surprised I never see anyone else walking anywhere.