DistractionRectangle's recent activity

  1. Comment on CGA-2026-01 🕹️⛵🛡️ INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
    (edited )
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    You should compare how both look and choose what you like best. From YouTube, I personally like the look of the gamecube version (which works out as it's the version I own). I just can't stand the...

    You should compare how both look and choose what you like best. From YouTube, I personally like the look of the gamecube version (which works out as it's the version I own). I just can't stand the bloom and saturation of WW HD.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on CGA-2026-01 🕹️⛵🛡️ INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
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    I loved the tingle tuner as it allowed for a semblance of co-op and friendly fire :) Bombing your sibling (and wasting their money) was a delight. Less so when they got to do it to you... The QoL...

    I loved the tingle tuner as it allowed for a semblance of co-op and friendly fire :)

    Bombing your sibling (and wasting their money) was a delight. Less so when they got to do it to you...

    The QoL mod is something I was unaware of. I set this up a while ago in anticipation of this months CGA, and I also found the default controls... clunky. So I reached for my hammer, Steam Input.

    I couldn't get steam input overlay (big picture overlay) working with the dolphin launcher, so added Wind Waker as a non steam game using /usr/bin/dolphin-emu-nogui as the target with this command:

    %command% -e /home/drect/Documents/dumps/gc/GZLE01.iso --config Dolphin.Display.Fullscreen=True --config Dolphin.Interface.CursorVisibility=0

    -e is the absolute path to the game iso and the config options force fullscreen and hide the mouse

    And now I can play with my steam controller and tweak the control scheme to my liking on the fly!

    4 votes
  3. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 28 in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
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    Free game #15 Chivalry 2 Next in 22 hours (two mystery games tomorrow!)

    Free game #15
    Chivalry 2
    Next in 22 hours (two mystery games tomorrow!)

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 28 in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Free game #14 Trine Classic Collection Next in 11 hours This is actually four games Trine Enhanced Edition Trine 2: Complete Story Trine 3: Artifacts of Power Trine 4: Definitive Edition They are...

    Free game #14

    Trine Classic Collection

    Next in 11 hours


    This is actually four games

    • Trine Enhanced Edition

    • Trine 2: Complete Story

    • Trine 3: Artifacts of Power

    • Trine 4: Definitive Edition

    They are 2.5D physics platformers with characters you switch between at will to overcome various environmental puzzles/challenges. Kinda neat and allows for co-op play

    Viewfinder on Linux

    Ironically, umu launcher actually causes problems. You have to disable this if you're using Heroic or have previously setup another launcher to use UMU. You can also bypass Epic by launching the game directly with the argument -EpicPortal

    3 votes
  5. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 28 in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
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    Happy to do it, best wishes on your new venture! That's quite a way to start off the new year :)

    Happy to do it, best wishes on your new venture! That's quite a way to start off the new year :)

    4 votes
  6. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 28 in ~games

  7. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 28 in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
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    Continuing @cfabbro's Epic Freebies chronicle Free game #11 Cassette Beasts Next in 12 hours

    Continuing @cfabbro's Epic Freebies chronicle

    Free game #11
    Cassette Beasts
    Next in 12 hours

    7 votes
  8. Comment on Gift recommendations in ~life

    DistractionRectangle
    Link Parent
    In a similar vein, I've had great success with yeti stackable rambler mugs (12-14oz, $20-$40 + customizable). For the people that carry a cup around everywhere, are spill prone, etc. It's one of...

    In a similar vein, I've had great success with yeti stackable rambler mugs (12-14oz, $20-$40 + customizable). For the people that carry a cup around everywhere, are spill prone, etc. It's one of those things that's just a step up from a normal cup, and if it clicks for that person, it's cheap enough that they'll buy more (multiple for the home, one or two for the office, etc). Generally cheaper on amazon/local outlets, but you can pay the premium (and if you want customize it) directly from yeti.

    3 votes
  9. Comment on A faster-than-light spaceship would actually look a lot like Star Trek's Enterprise in ~space

    DistractionRectangle
    Link Parent
    https://archive.is/saM6P

    https://archive.is/saM6P

    According to White and his colleagues, the original mathematical model for a warp drive envisioned a spacecraft encased in a continuous, donut-shaped ring of negative energy, a bizarre form of matter that works like gravity in reverse, pushing space apart rather than pulling it together.

    Physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed this model in 1994 after watching Star Trek episodes and wondering if the science could actually work. This theoretical geometry could effectively move an object faster than light by deforming the space around it, but his idea came with headache-inducing problems for any engineer trying to build it.

    White’s breakthrough was simpler. Instead of trying to make Alcubierre’s donut-shaped design work, he asked a different question: What if you broke the energy ring into separate tubes, like engine pods, arranged around the ship? That small geometric shift—from one continuous ring to multiple discrete cylinders—changes everything about how the physics plays out inside the bubbles. The math suddenly became manageable. The interior could remain flat and safe. The dangerous forces could be confined to the nacelles, away from the crew.

    White’s math dictates that to keep the ship’s internal clock synchronized with the outside world and avoid ripping the pilot apart, the most efficient structure involves arranging these energy tubes around the craft—exactly like the twin nacelles of the USS Enterprise.

    9 votes
  10. Comment on Advice with my Nextcloud + Kodi set-up in ~tech

    DistractionRectangle
    Link Parent
    To add, different Pis have different support for hardware accelerated decoding of video formats. It's very likely that the media files are in a format that the pi has to use CPU decoding for,...

    To add, different Pis have different support for hardware accelerated decoding of video formats. It's very likely that the media files are in a format that the pi has to use CPU decoding for, which strains an already anemic system.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news

    DistractionRectangle
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    This "external SSD will only complete the data wiping when it's connected to a PC." Good luck, Jim.

    This "external SSD will only complete the data wiping when it's connected to a PC." Good luck, Jim.

    5 votes
  12. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 16 in ~games

    DistractionRectangle
    Link Parent
    There's some curious modifiers on the page. Instead of "Ends In... " in reads "Exclusive Access Ends In... " and there also "Limited Keys" which together lead me to believe this is supposed to be...

    Also, I'm not sure why, but the bundle is only available by direct link and isn't showing up if you navigate through the site. Maybe it's not fully launched yet?

    There's some curious modifiers on the page. Instead of "Ends In... " in reads "Exclusive Access Ends In... " and there also "Limited Keys" which together lead me to believe this is supposed to be exclusive to some in-group (news letter or current subs or something).

    2 votes
  13. Comment on [SOLVED] USB hub with a detachable cable? in ~tech

    DistractionRectangle
    Link Parent
    I clamp mine to my monitor, but only because it has a large and substantial feeling bottom bezel. It's nice to have them affixed to something. The one I use has card readers, a mix of usb A and c...

    I clamp mine to my monitor, but only because it has a large and substantial feeling bottom bezel. It's nice to have them affixed to something. The one I use has card readers, a mix of usb A and c ports, and an aux port, so it's nice supplement for cases with inconvenient or anemic front panel options.

    1 vote
  14. Comment on [SOLVED] USB hub with a detachable cable? in ~tech

    DistractionRectangle
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    I've been using a clamp hub. Not specifically this one, but one like it: https://a.co/d/hPAwNB8 Seems to hit your requirements. You can just search for "clamp hub" and there's many variations.

    I've been using a clamp hub. Not specifically this one, but one like it: https://a.co/d/hPAwNB8

    Seems to hit your requirements. You can just search for "clamp hub" and there's many variations.

    5 votes
  15. Comment on Rediscovering “Columbo” in 2020 in ~comics

    DistractionRectangle
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    Obliquely related: Columbo x Fraiser They still air regularly on antenna TV (at least in my local segment) and I'll watch it once in a while. They're neat in that they don't hit the usually...

    Obliquely related: Columbo x Fraiser

    They still air regularly on antenna TV (at least in my local segment) and I'll watch it once in a while. They're neat in that they don't hit the usually cliches and humanize the murderer. Sometimes you actually hope they'd get away with it. Alongside Columbo, you learn about their corner of the world; things about their profession, their passions, customs, etc which usually tie back to solving the crime.

    It's all very accessible, unlike CSI style shows where they found the killer by looking through the database of all flower shops in New York that carry orchids and cross referenced it with buildings made in the 1800's based on a picture containing an old radiator.

    10 votes
  16. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    DistractionRectangle
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I feel like this is something bitwarden + emergency accessis good for. Mind, you have to setup emergency contacts in advance. Just have the passwords in the vault, and the pdf with instructions...

    I feel like this is something bitwarden + emergency accessis good for. Mind, you have to setup emergency contacts in advance.

    Just have the passwords in the vault, and the pdf with instructions for other things.

    Then just print out a generic instruction pdf like xk3 said and put it some place safe and your wife knows where it is.

    Something to the effect of:

    "In the event of my death/I'm incapacitated, go into your bitwarden account and request emergency access to my account" with some screenshots of how to do it.

    "aside from the passwords to <accounts>, there's also an instructional pdf which will help you with <things>, here's how to access it" more screenshots. Edit: for clarity, the pdf also lives in the vault, so it's all in bitwarden.

    You could also include the non sensitive things in the printed copy, like call Y for help with Z, how to decommission the smart home, etc

    I think this account walks the line between your goals and xk3's suggestion. Your sensitive information remains secure and she has to trigger it, it won't auto trigger, and as far as tech stacks go, I trust bitwarden to continue working. Also, if she triggers it and you're up and about, you can deny the request within the configurable emergency access delay if that's something you want.

    1 vote
  17. Comment on Advice on poor Linux performance vs Windows in ~tech

    DistractionRectangle
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    So I don't use NTFS drives from Linux, but a cursory review of kernel news suggests NTFS is enough of a mess to warrant (yet another) a new NTFS driver However, reading throughput is suggested to...

    So I don't use NTFS drives from Linux, but a cursory review of kernel news suggests NTFS is enough of a mess to warrant (yet another) a new NTFS driver

    However, reading throughput is suggested to be identical as the old driver. So unless you're doing heavy reading and writing at the same time, it shouldn't be cripplingly slow to read.

    Assuming you're using the ntfs-3g driver (it's the current, not the new one, and if you aren't, start there), they offer a slew of things to check under Performance -> WHY IS THE DRIVER SO SLOW

    9 votes
  18. Comment on Microsoft is adding AI facial recognition to OneDrive and users can only turn it off three times a year in ~tech

    DistractionRectangle
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    Honestly, that's the primary selling point of btrfs for me. I shoot myself in the foot at an embarrassing frequency, and once in a while arch updates come bite me. It's just soooooooooo nice being...

    Honestly, that's the primary selling point of btrfs for me. I shoot myself in the foot at an embarrassing frequency, and once in a while arch updates come bite me. It's just soooooooooo nice being able to go "uno reverse" and ignore the problem until it gets fixed upstream, or if I caused it... not do that again :P

    3 votes
  19. Comment on Cell phone advice in ~tech

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    The issue is the phone doesn't actually know what the new batteries real 10% is, so if you run it until it dies, it learns the full capacity - real 0% and real 100%. And no, it's not too late!

    The issue is the phone doesn't actually know what the new batteries real 10% is, so if you run it until it dies, it learns the full capacity - real 0% and real 100%. And no, it's not too late!

    8 votes
  20. Comment on Cell phone advice in ~tech

    DistractionRectangle
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    Have you done a couple of full charge/full discharge cycles? The phone has to learn the new battery's capacity, so you have to put it on the charger until it's full, and then use it until it...

    the new battery is even worse than the original

    Have you done a couple of full charge/full discharge cycles? The phone has to learn the new battery's capacity, so you have to put it on the charger until it's full, and then use it until it actually dies. Do that a few times and it'll figure things out.

    3 votes