Crespyl's recent activity
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Comment on These snakes can cartwheel away from danger. Scientists just uncovered how the slithering creatures perform their acrobatic rolls. in ~science
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Comment on Babylon 5 S2E11: "All Alone in the Night" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Crespyl LinkI've been keeping up with the show, but am a pretty infrequent commenter. I've enjoyed reading and (rarely) participating in the occasional discussion here, but it has been pretty quiet in here...I've been keeping up with the show, but am a pretty infrequent commenter. I've enjoyed reading and (rarely) participating in the occasional discussion here, but it has been pretty quiet in here compared to the weekly first season.
I wouldn't be opposed to bumping down to a lower/weekly cadence for threads, maybe with a comment anchor for each episode?
Thanks for keeping up with posting the threads!
edit: whoops this should've been a reply to @moocow1452
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Comment on Babylon 5 S02E04: "A Distant Star" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Crespyl LinkI bet Sinclair would've gone into hyperspace with the fighter crew. He had a real passion for putting his own life on the line in pursuits that should be more questionable for a man in his...I bet Sinclair would've gone into hyperspace with the fighter crew. He had a real passion for putting his own life on the line in pursuits that should be more questionable for a man in his position.
Sheridan not doing that, to me, drives home the idea that he really is his own character and not just a drop-in replacement for an actor who was no longer available.
Also, the whole hyperspace sequence gave me (very positive) Freespace 2 vibes (even if the game was like 6-7 years later).
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Comment on The literary world’s DEI checklist in ~books
Crespyl LinkOff-topic: the NYT seems to have found some means of breaking the Firefox Reader Mode, at least on Android. Entering Reader Mode causes the page to immediately reload, which seems to boot it back...Off-topic: the NYT seems to have found some means of breaking the Firefox Reader Mode, at least on Android. Entering Reader Mode causes the page to immediately reload, which seems to boot it back to the paywall. Disabling Javascript lets me read enough of the article to realize that the rest of the article isn't going to be worth the squeeze.
On-topic: From what I read, this doesn't really seem like the sort of thing that's going to lead to a productive discussion... anywhere? It'd be nice if there were a way to flag threads the way we can flag comments; this seems primed to be one of those recurrent front-page nuisance threads that end up with lots of people getting very upset and angry.
I'll settle for ignoring it.
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Comment on Babylon 5 S02E01: "Points of Departure" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Crespyl LinkSad to see O'Hare leave, I really enjoyed his performance in the first season. It always takes some time to get used to new faces, and I'm excited to see how the new commander is written...Sad to see O'Hare leave, I really enjoyed his performance in the first season.
It always takes some time to get used to new faces, and I'm excited to see how the new commander is written differently from Sinclair.
Also, wow! Starting off strong with some big reveals, it'll be fun to see where it all leads.
I would like it if they went back to the one-a-week cadence for the releases, it felt a little easier to keep up with; but it's also fun to move quickly and not wait as long between episodes.
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Comment on Babylon 5 - Season 1 discussion and check-in in ~tv
Crespyl LinkSuch a weird release process with the ClipZone edition of things, but at least now the official B5 channel has all the episodes up now. I'd certainly be interested in having some kind of thread or...Such a weird release process with the ClipZone edition of things, but at least now the official B5 channel has all the episodes up now.
I'd certainly be interested in having some kind of thread or bump-post for season 2, assuming it comes out soon in some kind of coherent manner.
I really enjoyed watching the first season with the folks here, and I've wanted to finish out the whole series for a while. Definitely looking forward to S2 and the rest.
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Comment on Anyone have a pebble? in ~tech
Crespyl Link ParentI love Firewatch (Dynamic) on mine, the landscape changing with the weather looks so nice.I love Firewatch (Dynamic) on mine, the landscape changing with the weather looks so nice.
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Comment on What is your "when I found out about 9/11" story? in ~talk
Crespyl Link ParentI was also living in VA at the time, in Leesburg which is pretty close to DC. I was only in third grade, and they didn't really tell us anything. The first thing that I noticed was one of my...I was also living in VA at the time, in Leesburg which is pretty close to DC. I was only in third grade, and they didn't really tell us anything.
The first thing that I noticed was one of my classmates being told their parents had come to pick them up. The teacher might've been called out for a few minutes, but there was a weird quiet air and a few minutes later another kid got called out, then another. After the third kid, we all kind of knew something was up, but nobody was telling us what was going on. Just waiting to see who gets called out next.
Eventually about half the class was gone and my own parents came to pick me up, and explained what had happened in the car, and I think we listened to the radio. I remember finally seeing the footage of the towers smoking on TV when we got home.
It wasn't long after that, a few months maybe, before my family moved back to Indiana, closer to my extended family, farther from areas that could be major targets like DC (there were other reasons for the move too, family health problems and support mostly, but I remember hearing about how Washington would be a target after the attack on the Pentagon). I think that's when it started settling in that the world had really changed and things wouldn't be the same.
The biggest standout in my memory has always been that hour or two waiting in the classroom, knowing something big was happening but not knowing what it was or who would go next. Watching classmates and friends get called out one by one, wondering when or if my turn would come.
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Comment on That book you remember some details but can't recall the title in ~books
Crespyl Link ParentI've read Death's End (that whole trilogy is worth the read) and it's not that one, although it does go into the distant future and plays with ideas around higher dimensions. I haven't read 2312,...I've read Death's End (that whole trilogy is worth the read) and it's not that one, although it does go into the distant future and plays with ideas around higher dimensions.
I haven't read 2312, and the synopsis on Wikipedia doesn't ring any bells, so I don't think that's it, but it does look like a fun read. I haven't read much KSR, I ought to fix that.
Thanks for the suggestion!
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Comment on That book you remember some details but can't recall the title in ~books
Crespyl LinkI recall reading a science fiction book, probably in the early to mid 00's, possibly as late as the early 2010s. It featured some pretty high-concept/distant future science fiction ideas, I...I recall reading a science fiction book, probably in the early to mid 00's, possibly as late as the early 2010s.
It featured some pretty high-concept/distant future science fiction ideas, I specifically remember a kind of rotating space elevator that would flip end over end to pick things up and fling them into orbit. There was, I think, a fairly young human woman who was the main character/viewpoint, but most of Earth and its inhabitants had evolved or otherwise progressed into near-unrecognizable forms. I think there was something about a higher-dimensional super intelligence that was messing about, and a gigantic living space-whale/spaceship captained by a swarm of bees.
I think there was a villianous entity that may have been called Manifold or possibly Malign, or maybe those were two different things?
It's been so long and sounds like a fever dream when I try to tell anyone about it, but I'm sure it must be out there.
I'm pretty sure it's not Baxter's Manifold trilogy, but that's all that comes up when I search the keywords I remember.
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Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech
Crespyl Link ParentIt's been a while, so it's possible that the upstream default changed in the last few years, or maybe your distribution has tweaked the default config for their users.It's been a while, so it's possible that the upstream default changed in the last few years, or maybe your distribution has tweaked the default config for their users.
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Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech
Crespyl Link ParentThis is actually not something that my current shell of choice (fish) supports by default, but it's easy to add to your ~/.config/fish/config.fish: I think the fish fuzzy history search mostly...!!This is actually not something that my current shell of choice (
fish) supports by default, but it's easy to add to your~/.config/fish/config.fish:# define !! to expand to the last history item
function last_history_item; echo $history[1]; end
abbr -a !! --position anywhere --function last_history_itemI think the fish fuzzy history search mostly obviates the need for the other
!features, but!!is so ingrained in my muscle memory that it's nice to have in fish too. -
Comment on What game are you terrible at? in ~games
Crespyl Link ParentI love Hive! I feel like it could eventually (d)evolve in a similar way to Chess over the long run, but it still feels fresh and rewarding to explore strategies with friends in casual games in a...I love Hive! I feel like it could eventually (d)evolve in a similar way to Chess over the long run, but it still feels fresh and rewarding to explore strategies with friends in casual games in a way that reminds me of how I used to feel about Chess as a kid.
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Comment on What game are you terrible at? in ~games
Crespyl Link ParentI made it through that section of DUtM after watching another player solve it on YouTube; turns out there's no trick to it, you just gotta go for it. After seeing that it could be done, it only...I made it through that section of DUtM after watching another player solve it on YouTube; turns out there's no trick to it, you just gotta go for it. After seeing that it could be done, it only took me another three or four tries to make it work (after like six or seven tries before looking it up, ugh. I kept getting the zappy spheres pulled up towards the respawn point, so they basically were spawncamping me).
The game as a whole was... ok, but not great and I don't think you're missing much not finishing it. I played it through with my dad, which made it more fun. I liked it enough that I'll probably pick up the sequel eventually, but only on a decent sale, and only after I've worked through some other better ones I have my eyes on first.
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Comment on What game are you terrible at? in ~games
Crespyl Link ParentOhhh that Yiga clan hideout! Between the one-hit kills and that section disabling the extra life/Mipha's Grace I'd worked hard for, and then getting yanked out of my glider in the misty forest...Ohhh that Yiga clan hideout! Between the one-hit kills and that section disabling the extra life/Mipha's Grace I'd worked hard for, and then getting yanked out of my glider in the misty forest section I had to take a long break from the game. I don't think I ever finished it completely, and I did enjoy it over all, but those two incidents really put me off it for a while.
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Comment on New worlds, and what was your "Future Shock" moment? in ~life
Crespyl Link ParentI always think of the section in Infinite Jest about the video calls and the masks people would wear so they wouldn't have to feel like they needed to do up their makeup and look their best for...But now that it's available, it turns out that almost nobody wants to be seen on camera
I always think of the section in Infinite Jest about the video calls and the masks people would wear so they wouldn't have to feel like they needed to do up their makeup and look their best for every call all the time. Eventually everyone was just a mask looking at another mask, so they collectively gave up the pretense and just went back to regular voice-only calls.
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Comment on The Gateless Gate 3D: Forty-nine Zen Buddhist koans, each with its own interactive scene in ~humanities
Crespyl Link ParentMy first introduction to Zen was by way of Douglas Hofstadter's G.E.B, and I was intrigued by the koans but always kind of wanted to learn more directly about where they came from and their...My first introduction to Zen was by way of Douglas Hofstadter's G.E.B, and I was intrigued by the koans but always kind of wanted to learn more directly about where they came from and their original context. I still haven't really gone and learned about Zen properly, but I really enjoyed reading through the texts here, it's a very nice presentation!
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Comment on What lesser-known sci-fi reads do you recommend? in ~books
Crespyl Link ParentI remember Fallen Angels as well! Niven and Pournelle are always a great team (Niven is brilliant, but gets silly left to his own devices), and Flynn brings a lot to the table as well. I actually...I remember Fallen Angels as well! Niven and Pournelle are always a great team (Niven is brilliant, but gets silly left to his own devices), and Flynn brings a lot to the table as well. I actually brought up some of Flynn's solo work in another comment on this post (Eifelheim).
Genesis Quest sounds interesting, especially given that I saw Pluribus recently and have been playing The Message From Deep Space lately; both works that explore intersteller transmissions of different kinds as a form of first contact.
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Comment on What lesser-known sci-fi reads do you recommend? in ~books
Crespyl LinkMichael Flynn's Eifelheim is one I don't see mentioned often; his January Dancer series is also excellent. Eifelheim has some interesting ideas that are almost psychohistory-adjacent in regards to...Michael Flynn's Eifelheim is one I don't see mentioned often; his January Dancer series is also excellent.
Eifelheim has some interesting ideas that are almost psychohistory-adjacent in regards to where cities are likely to appear and some of the more or less predictable cycles of development and collapse across history.
spoilers
The idea of first contact involving a medieval priest and a tiny backwater village is really interesting, as is the framing device of trying to understand what happened so long ago from a modern perspective. -
Comment on What lesser-known sci-fi reads do you recommend? in ~books
Crespyl Link ParentBoth Mote and its sequel The Gripping Hand are excellent. I still sometimes reference "on the gripping hand" when the occasion arises. I loved the exploration of how the cycles impacted Motie...Both Mote and its sequel The Gripping Hand are excellent. I still sometimes reference "on the gripping hand" when the occasion arises.
I loved the exploration of how the cycles impacted Motie culture and evolution over time.
It absolutely delights me that this behavior was apparently only formally recorded and published as recently as 2019/2023. There's so much marvelous stuff in nature that we're still learning about. It's easy to forget what we don't know and become sort of complacent in the overwhelming flood of information we're constantly dealing with, and to kind of assume we pretty much understand nature.
Things like this remind us that there's still weird critters out there to be documented, still strange behaviors to learn about, and interesting physics to explore.
I also love the various ocean mapping submarine live streams like EV Nautilus for this!