CompChris's recent activity
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Comment on Has anyone unintentionally handicapped themselves while playing a game and liked a game more for it? in ~games
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Comment on Do you look up words while reading a novel? in ~books
CompChris LinkAbsolutely. I feel that it can't hurt me to look up a word. Sure, I can use context clues to get an idea of what that word means, but when I do read, I generally use a Kindle. There's a dictionary...Absolutely. I feel that it can't hurt me to look up a word. Sure, I can use context clues to get an idea of what that word means, but when I do read, I generally use a Kindle. There's a dictionary built in. It takes me a few seconds to look up a word.
Granted, I do this more in everyday life than while reading. One of the few things I still use my Google Home for are dictionary lookups. A word will pop into my head that I don't quite know the usage of, or would simply like to learn, and I'll ask it to define it. Great! I've learned something new! That word may not become a part of my everyday speech, and I may forget it again down the line, but I can always look it up again.
There's no shame in looking up what you don't know.
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Comment on Twitter is now X as the little blue bird disappears in ~tech
CompChris LinkNow, while I think that Twitter/"X's" days are limited, this ridiculous, sudden rebranding is going to leave hundreds-of-thousands of sites with "the bird" logo. Then I have to imagine that...Now, while I think that Twitter/"X's" days are limited, this ridiculous, sudden rebranding is going to leave hundreds-of-thousands of sites with "the bird" logo. Then I have to imagine that there's, for instance, linear television that does 15-30 second interstitial segments that are calls-to-action to all of their online presences
("You've been watching WABC news. Find us online on our website at... on Facebook... and check our Twitter @ WABC for the latest news happening in your area!")
which will all need to be redone. Radio, application about pages, product packaging, documentation, "Share to" menus. It's a branding nightmare. -
Comment on What are the best cover songs that reinterpret the original into a different genre, style, or mood? in ~music
CompChris Link ParentI first heard Lorde's cover of "Everybody wants to rule the world" in the trailer for Assassin's Creed Unity (Start at ~00:38, if you want to skip some narrative-building). I don't know what it...I first heard Lorde's cover of "Everybody wants to rule the world" in the trailer for Assassin's Creed Unity (Start at ~00:38, if you want to skip some narrative-building). I don't know what it was, but Lorde's darker, slower version fit the story they were trying to tell in that three-minutes really well. Kudos to those who worked on that trailer, audibly and visually, it was quite a ride.
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Comment on I'm trying to find "mild" horror movies, any suggestions? in ~movies
CompChris LinkI'm going to throw The Shining in. It's definitely a creepy movie, and does get placed in the horror genre. I feel that it's more psychological horror. It's a cult classic with Jack Nicholson and...I'm going to throw The Shining in. It's definitely a creepy movie, and does get placed in the horror genre. I feel that it's more psychological horror. It's a cult classic with Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. My biggest complaint I have is abuse Kubrick put members of the team, and especially Duvall through. Not making excuses for Kubrick, but he was eccentric.
Putting aside production woes, I like the movie very, very much, and I'm not a horror movie kind of person. It's a mild horror movie (Rated R).
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Comment on What is/was your favorite BBS board? in ~tech
CompChris Link ParentInvisionFree was a pretty cool service. They ran a customized version of Invision Power Board (IPB) 1.3. Used to have a small board there. Then I moved the forum onto my own site, and self-hosted...In the early 2000s I got really into forum theming/styling for different forum systems, primarily Invision Power Board and phpBB. There was a forum host called InvisionFree that had its own theming community, called Invision Free Skin Zone, that I was very, very active on.
InvisionFree was a pretty cool service. They ran a customized version of Invision Power Board (IPB) 1.3. Used to have a small board there. Then I moved the forum onto my own site, and self-hosted IPB 1.3, skinned with the newer, way prettier, backported IPB 2.0 skin.
Invision, for a very short period released IPB 2.0 as a free download (literally a week), before replacing it with a limited version of IPB 2.0 that limited the number of posts, users, and a few other things. That meant anybody that wanted to self-host with the IPB software, still generally stuck with IPB 1.3. Thinking back to those days, I imagine it had so many exploits, because it wasn't getting security updates. It's a wonder my self-hosted install, or the (much larger) board that I frequented (also on IPB 1.3) weren't compromised more (I think the larger board had a couple of hacks).
My guess though, is that InvisionFree was doing their own patching, because there's no way they could keep up a service running completely on IPB 1.3. In fact, I seem to remember that they had a unique version number "1.3.1," so maybe they had a license from Invision to host, and update their code?
Impressively, my board at InvisionFree lasted (unused) until they completely died.
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Comment on I am an extremely light sleeper, and need advice in ~life
CompChris LinkI see that a lot of apps, or white noise tracks have been mentioned, as well as running a fan. I use a Lectrofan white noise/fan machine. The reason I love this is it has everything built in, a...I see that a lot of apps, or white noise tracks have been mentioned, as well as running a fan. I use a Lectrofan white noise/fan machine. The reason I love this is it has everything built in, a boomy speaker, is easy to throw into a bag and take anywhere, runs on USB power, and most importantly, requires no internet. It's a cool little gadget, especially for light sleepers. It should drawn out noisy neighbors without trouble. There are a few models. I have the classic one (the one that looks retro).
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Comment on MXRoute has $10/yr 10GB email hosting packages for 4th of July in ~comp
CompChris Link ParentThat was a good find, and I very much agree with you there. I'd find this especially important for webmail. Why shouldn't MFA be an option when logging into the admin panel/webmail? Absolutely. A...One opinion in particular that I don't like is their stance on 2FA. While they're not wrong here that MFA isn't actually supported at the POP/IMAP/SMTP protocol level, I disagree with their opinion that app passwords provide no value.
That was a good find, and I very much agree with you there. I'd find this especially important for webmail. Why shouldn't MFA be an option when logging into the admin panel/webmail?
Also app passwords are typically just generated by the service itself and aren't settable by the user. Allowing the email provider to set complex app passwords here can reduce the likelihood of the password being brute forced or guessed, given common user password hygiene.
Absolutely. A password you personally set for your account IMHO shouldn't be going through POP/IMAP/SMTP. That's where app-specific passwords come in. They can be reset in both the admin interface and the email client you're using reasonably quickly, without resetting the account password. The app-specific password cannot be used to log into the account admin panel as well, lowering the attack surface.
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Comment on MXRoute has $10/yr 10GB email hosting packages for 4th of July in ~comp
CompChris (edited )Link ParentAt the same time, I kind of like how candid they are. It's clear that the company is small. Instead of beating around the bush, things are matter-of-fact... but not in a way that made me feel...They also seem very opinionated and borderline unprofessional
At the same time, I kind of like how candid they are. It's clear that the company is small. Instead of beating around the bush, things are matter-of-fact... but not in a way that made me feel unwelcome on their site. They definitely make it clear that the service is not for beginners, that they won't tolerate their services being used for abuse, which features you can expect when using them, and which you shouldn't.
Some profanity doesn't bother me, as long as it isn't aimed at me. I understand though that that might not gel too well with some however, and probably won't win them any huge business contracts.
Now, to be clear, when I say candid in this case, I mean open, and not mean being rude to customers, or belittling them if they have questions, because that's not a good experience for anyone, and only harbors resentment. This is my first time hearing of them, but that's not the vibe I seem to be getting from them.
Please do correct me if I missed anything that seems particularly nasty.
Edit: I'm mixed. Not feeling quite as confident in my comment as I did while writing it. It looks like they can be a tad abrasive at times. There are two sides to every story though. Support account on Reddit.
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Comment on What are the best portable retro consoles under 120 US dollars? in ~games
CompChris LinkIf you can find one inexpensively, the PSP is still a fantastic console, and dead simple to hack (you'll want to). Then you have a (IMHO) comfortable device that is solid, that will run homebrew,...If you can find one inexpensively, the PSP is still a fantastic console, and dead simple to hack (you'll want to). Then you have a (IMHO) comfortable device that is solid, that will run homebrew, and the backups of the games you'll definitely buy with it, PS1 titles, Some N64, SNES, NES, GBA, GBC, Genesis, Master System, and so on.
There are MicroSD to Memory Stick Pro Duo converters out there, which you'll probably want, because Memory Stick Pro Duo cards are pricey.
It's still a very neat console, and if you find one in a Garage Sale / Flea Market / Car Boot Sale, I recommend snatching it up.
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Comment on What are your favourite lightweight websites? in ~tech
CompChris Link ParentThis one is really cool! Thanks for sharing. I appreciate the documentation and customization. One of the more readable weather tools I've used. I'm sure I'll find a place to use it.This one is really cool! Thanks for sharing. I appreciate the documentation and customization. One of the more readable weather tools I've used. I'm sure I'll find a place to use it.
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Comment on What are you looking for out of artificial intelligence? in ~tech
CompChris LinkWhile there is no substitute for human companionship/friendship... and it's a slippery slope moving into AI as a substitute for friends (especially those that sell themselves on being a virtual...While there is no substitute for human companionship/friendship... and it's a slippery slope moving into AI as a substitute for friends (especially those that sell themselves on being a virtual partner, like Replika (Don't... it feels so shady), I understand what you're looking for. That being said, I don't know anything that can be run on your own computer, that completely fulfills that.
You may look at TavernAI, which hooks into APIs provided by software designed to run GPT-style models, like KobaldAI. It is an open source project, and characters can be created or obtained from the internet.
They also have a demo of it running inside a Google Collab document, if you don't quite have the hardware to run it yourself.
The main website is here.
If you use it with the Pygmalion model, there are more characters here (site NSFW). (Character data is stored in the metadata of the images). Those may run with other models as well, but with different results.
Roleplaying with a character (SFW (or NSFW if that's what you're looking for) for an hour or so, and "meeting" others (by adding other characters) may give you a temporary outlet to just talk to. Again, it's not a substitute for a human, but they can be interesting to talk with.
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Comment on Looking for recommendations for ad-free video hosting in ~tech
CompChris Link ParentI honestly don't know. I'm also using content blockers. My understanding was that YouTube would still put ads on public videos uploaded by users not enrolled in AdSense. However, I don't know...I honestly don't know. I'm also using content blockers. My understanding was that YouTube would still put ads on public videos uploaded by users not enrolled in AdSense. However, I don't know whether that applies to unlisted videos. You raise an excellent question though. That may be something worth testing out, OP.
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Comment on Steam 2023 Summer Sale: Hidden gems in ~games
CompChris LinkNot exactly a "hidden" gem, but certainly a less visible excellent deal for some fantastic games. If you're new to Valve, and their games (Half Life series, Half Life 2, Portal, Left 4 Dead,...Not exactly a "hidden" gem, but certainly a less visible excellent deal for some fantastic games.
If you're new to Valve, and their games (Half Life series, Half Life 2, Portal, Left 4 Dead, etc...) the Valve Complete Pack is a steal at $6.54 (or your regional equivalent), scaling based on which games you already own in the package. (Note: The Complete Pack does not include Half Life: Alyx).
If you're not the shooty shooty type... I still recommend Portal and Portal 2 for $1.48. The tongue-in-cheek humor is top-notch, and the puzzles make you think. Portal 2 also has a campaign you can play with a friend, and it's equally terrific. Watch the trailers. They'll give you an idea of the kind of games they are.
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Comment on What browser extensions do you absolutely love to use? in ~tech
CompChris LinkBrave user here (with all of the crypto, wallet, NFT stuff disabled). I've been extremely impressed with the browser's privacy features otherwise. Tabs Outliner is a must for me. Tabs are listed...Brave user here (with all of the crypto, wallet, NFT stuff disabled). I've been extremely impressed with the browser's privacy features otherwise.
- Tabs Outliner is a must for me. Tabs are listed tree-style. It also has a handy icon that shows me how many tabs I've managed to open. I have 324 tabs open right now (I am not proud of that number... but old habits die hard). It also catches all open tabs in event of a browser crash, instead of using the built in tab restoration feature, I can pick-and-choose which tabs I absolutely need open.
- Single File is an invaluable page archival tool. After clicking the button, the extension wraps up a copy of the current state of the open page, and writes it to a single HTML file (all images, styles, etc. are saved in the file). It is fantastic.
- Sponsorblock for YouTube. I held off on this extension for the longest time. It's a big deal. I justify it by leaving it so that I manually skip the sponsor (Enter to skip). I still know who the sponsor is that way. If they've done some skit, then I can watch it. Either way, I know who is sponsoring them.
- Return YouTube Dislike. The dislike count shouldn't have been removed (The dislike count was an easy way to check if something might be up with the video, and to maybe roll down into the comments section, and scrutinize the video contents even harder) This does its best to extrapolate dislike figures from their own servers. Is there a potential privacy concern? Yes. Am I that worried about it? Not really.
- Context Menu Search allows me to select text on a page and use a particular search engine (including site search) to pass the selection to (Wikipedia, YouTube, Steam Store search, etc.)
I have a handful of other extensions that aren't quite as interesting (more common), but this sums up some of my favorites.
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Comment on Looking for recommendations for ad-free video hosting in ~tech
CompChris (edited )LinkSomething you might consider (maybe), is still uploading the video to YouTube (Unlisted), and using an Invidious instance. Invidious pulls the actual video file, so no ads would be present. In...Something you might consider (maybe), is still uploading the video to YouTube (Unlisted), and using an Invidious instance. Invidious pulls the actual video file, so no ads would be present.
In this case, any public Invidious instance would take normal YouTube parameters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ becomes
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ <-- the yewtu.be Invidious instanceThere are quite a few instances.
Whether this is truly practical in your case, I can't say. It still may be a solution.
Edit: I should mention that Invidious itself probably breaks YouTube's terms of service (Would this affect you? Probably not.), and the project is on Google's radar. The project has chosen to ignore YouTube's C&D. Their argument is that they have not broken YouTube's terms of service because they never agreed to them, as they are not using YouTube's API... Google could go after individual instances (that's the part that could affect you)... That's a whole different case for now, but I felt that it was important to inform.
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Comment on Do you think there should be more customization of user profiles on Tildes? If so, what should be added? in ~tildes
CompChris Link ParentThis is actually a feature built into Tildes ReExtended. Might be what you're looking for.Something I miss from Reddit RES is tagging users, maybe adding this feature and improving to the next level.
This is actually a feature built into Tildes ReExtended. Might be what you're looking for.
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Comment on Who has watched Jury Duty? in ~tv
CompChris LinkReally hard not to go into spoiler territory here, so I'm really trying to stay vague. I thought it was an extremely fun and well executed watch. They couldn't have asked for a better mark than...Really hard not to go into spoiler territory here, so I'm really trying to stay vague. I thought it was an extremely fun and well executed watch. They couldn't have asked for a better mark than Ronald, and, despite all the absurdity, he was remarkably patient, and kept them on their toes.
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Comment on Favorite "cozy" games? in ~games
CompChris LinkThis may be a bit cliché, but I also haven't seen it mentioned, so perhaps not. I really like playing single-player vanilla Minecraft on "Peaceful" difficulty. Throwing Minecraft on "Peaceful"...This may be a bit cliché, but I also haven't seen it mentioned, so perhaps not. I really like playing single-player vanilla Minecraft on "Peaceful" difficulty. Throwing Minecraft on "Peaceful" makes the, normally hostile mobs not spawn, and allows me to sit there and explore around, mine, and build up structures from what I mine, without worrying about it getting damaged or destroyed by a creeper, et al. The monotony of just exploring and gathering resources without the combat, or requirement for nourishment makes this very cozy for me.
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Comment on AI music videos repository - an Ignore Me thread in ~music
I did this too, and absolutely plan on doing it through another playthrough of Skyrim. I like exploring, seeing what I come across while I travel. I found this to be a much more interesting experience, because Skyrim lets you kind of do what you like. I'd have quite a few side-quests active, and just work on completing them, picking up new ones as I came across them. It might be many, many hours before I get to the next part of a quest, but I was happy traveling back and forth all around Skyrim. Random events made the journey much more interesting.