DistractionRectangle's recent activity
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
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Comment on Alphabet shares tumble in $500bn rout [as AI-mode search threatens advertising profits] in ~finance
DistractionRectangle Link ParentI've had this issue with my parents. It doesn't help that the AI answer pretends to cite sources (or I guess it does). It sounds and looks very authoritative, but I've had to explain how it's...I've had this issue with my parents. It doesn't help that the AI answer pretends to cite sources (or I guess it does).
It sounds and looks very authoritative, but I've had to explain how it's often wrong. I've had to sit both of them down and show them how on some answers, the sources don't support the conclusion at all (and often refute it).
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Comment on Nintendo Switch 2 emulation makes swift progress, Mario Kart World, DK Bananza and more reportedly running on PC in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentFixing the emulator to support new firmwares/OS specifics + applets was a common chore in the switch one emulator. You'd often see similar turn around times on supporting new switch 1 firmwares/OS...Fixing the emulator to support new firmwares/OS specifics + applets was a common chore in the switch one emulator. You'd often see similar turn around times on supporting new switch 1 firmwares/OS bits. Games that didn't have day one support usually worked in 2-7 days. Since the switch 2 shares a lot of commonalities with the original switch, it's not surprising they're able to quickly rough in support to existing emulators (looks like they're patching eden).
There's some work to be done to more fully support the switch 2, but I'd say the cadence isn't surprising now they can dump from the system.
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Comment on Scientists rediscover how to make ancient Roman colour-changing glass in ~humanities.history
DistractionRectangle Link ParentThat's the beauty of it! Roman's did it with nano particles too! The article touches upon the why and the how, but not in a super gratifying way. The gist is, you have a molten glass doped with...That's the beauty of it! Roman's did it with nano particles too! The article touches upon the why and the how, but not in a super gratifying way.
The gist is, you have a molten glass doped with silver and gold, and there are many knobs you can turn to control nano particle formation/size (like gold/silver concentration, glass composition, cooling rate). Under the right conditions, they form naturally! Depending on the size and distribution (is the particle size uniform, or does the size vary?), you get different optical properties. The article hints at this, saying that how the placement of the piece in the furnace impacted the color properties of the glass:
The colour was quite dependent on conditions in the furnace. If the glass went in a different position in the furnace, then the colour came out differently … The fact that the colour is so sensitive to the position in the furnace suggests that it would have been very difficult for the Romans to control the colour. It makes me think that, with the Lycurgus glass, they hit the jackpot.
So it's a mix of intent, luck, and skill. It's possible they discovered it by accident - by cross contamination between silver/gold smelting and glass making. It's just as possible they were intentionally trying to stain the glass with additives and got something even cooler. Once discovered, then it's a matter of honing the process into something reproducible.
They found the how, we finally understand the why (and used that to rediscover the how). There's a similar story behind Roman concrete.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DistractionRectangle LinkI've finally pulled Ryubing (the successor fork of Ryujinx) out of my backlog and am trying to tackle performance issues. It's mostly slow, learning C#, debugging tools for C#, and getting...I've finally pulled Ryubing (the successor fork of Ryujinx) out of my backlog and am trying to tackle performance issues.
It's mostly slow, learning C#, debugging tools for C#, and getting familiar with the code base.
I did find an issue where on the rendering thread half the time was spent creating/destroying vulkan fences. So that was neat. The fix was backing their fence abstraction with a fence pool and required almost zero knowledge to implement (I had to figure out how to reset the fence, but that's just an api call, the rest is just wiring in a thread safe pool pattern which touched all of three files).
It didn't double the frame rate as the bottleneck shifted, but it did increase framerate in slow scenes as much as 50%.
The two main issues now are the GPU thread (which translates/processes the native gpfifo buffer) and the render thread. Both of which require a much deeper understanding of the GPU stack/vulkan before I can make any traction.
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Comment on eMudhra intermediate CA compromise in ~tech
DistractionRectangle LinkSo excited for all the upcoming write ups about all the ways this was used to jailbreak old stuff!So excited for all the upcoming write ups about all the ways this was used to jailbreak old stuff!
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Comment on Hackers obtain counterfeit TLS certificates for Google and other large services in ~tech
DistractionRectangle Link ParentThat's how DNS works at a low level. There are root servers, which contain records which point to TLD servers, which in turn hold records which point to authoritative nameservers for a given...I wouldn’t expect any of these DNS queries to even end up at a TLD.
That's how DNS works at a low level.
There are root servers, which contain records which point to TLD servers, which in turn hold records which point to authoritative nameservers for a given domain, which in turn hold the actual DNS records (AA, AAAA, cname, mx, and so on).
The kind of nameservers we usually interact with - like Google's 8.8.8.8 - cache results, do some stuff with regards to geolocation, etc, but when they don't know the answer to a query, or a cached record expires, they act as or forward to recursive resolvers which walk the hierarchy I just described. This is why dns propagation is a thing that takes time, it takes a while for cache invalidation and new records to propagate.
So what's going on here, as I understand it, is they hacked the TLD servers for the affected country codes to returned modified records for select domains pointing to authorative name servers they controlled, and in turn allowed them to change the DNS records to anything they wanted. The blast radius for this kind of thing is huge, as it breaks the foundation of trust which the internet is built on. Attackers can get automated SSL certs, send/receive email pretending to be from the compromised domain, redirect traffic, install themselves as an intercepting proxy (which is the very thing SSL is supposed to protect against)! Etc.
I think the only thing worse than this would be compromising a certificate authority.
but also understanding enough of those systems to be able to return false information there.
It's actually not that arcane. Iirc, the spec is documented, and even if it weren't, you can query the root, TLD, and authoritative nameservers yourself and figure out the response format. Unbound is popular selfhosted recursive resolver.
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Comment on Got my hands on a Steam Frame. Can't use it much for not having prescription lenses yet, but AMA. in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentIt's not worth a top level comment, so I'll group in under yours, but in a similar vein, lots of games are getting new VR mods. For instance, just the other day, the Titanfall 2 VR mod droppedIt's not worth a top level comment, so I'll group in under yours, but in a similar vein, lots of games are getting new VR mods.
For instance, just the other day, the Titanfall 2 VR mod dropped
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Comment on Irreverent ads make me want to buy things even less in ~talk
DistractionRectangle Link ParentUnfortunately that type of content/ad campaigns are simply more effective. No one talks about nice, benal, boring ads. In a world flooded with ads, nice/forgettable ads are just that, forgotten....Unfortunately that type of content/ad campaigns are simply more effective. No one talks about nice, benal, boring ads. In a world flooded with ads, nice/forgettable ads are just that, forgotten. We talk about bad, outrageous ads, which only serves to extend their reach and brand recognition - and that's the whole point of advertising.
Funny thing is, I'm entirely familiar with dbrand, but live under
a rockan ad blocker. I've never known, or seen, their advertising. My exposure is 100% through discussions involving dbrand (like botching their attempt at companion/poverty cube steam machine skins by not asking Valve for permission up front). -
Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech
DistractionRectangle Link ParentAny particular issues with optimus/prime offloading? I've spent a fair deal ironing out my setup, so now nothing binds to my dgpu unless I want it to. Most of the time the dgpu is idle, and I can...Any particular issues with optimus/prime offloading? I've spent a fair deal ironing out my setup, so now nothing binds to my dgpu unless I want it to. Most of the time the dgpu is idle, and I can even detach it from the host to give to VMs without having to kill my host's graphical session.
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Comment on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2) | Zelda 40th anniversary Direct trailer in ~games
DistractionRectangle LinkI hope it does well, it looks like a remaster + extended content, which in my eyes could spell a return to form for LoZ. I think with the art style, it's just a classic you can't please everyone....I hope it does well, it looks like a remaster + extended content, which in my eyes could spell a return to form for LoZ. I think with the art style, it's just a classic you can't please everyone. They've been trying different things almost every generation and maybe stick with any particular art style for two games before moving on to something new.
The characters are a bit uncanny, but I'm excited overall. I think it's trying to thread the needle where they modernize the graphics a bit (detail, lighting/shadows, materials, etc) without crossing into hyper realism or losing the soul of the original game. I think they did a decent job with the world/atmosphere, but IMO the character design misses the mark. Unfortunate, but not the end of the world.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DistractionRectangle Link ParentPassword managers, browser autofill/saved data, and your email are good places to start. Nearly all places that let you login with your email will have sent you some kind of email as part of login...How the fuck am I going to find all the places I've used this domain?
Password managers, browser autofill/saved data, and your email are good places to start. Nearly all places that let you login with your email will have sent you some kind of email as part of login verification, new account flow, promotion spam, order updates, that kind of thing.
That's pretty fucked. Also, how tf do they not know how they'll refund people? It should either be prorated, or in its entirety for the inconvenience.
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Comment on Who likes GTA? in ~games
DistractionRectangle LinkI just can't stand how movement feels in GTA V. Driving/walking/aiming... I tried give it a chance since it was so hyped, but I couldn't get into it. Am I missing something, is there better...I just can't stand how movement feels in GTA V. Driving/walking/aiming... I tried give it a chance since it was so hyped, but I couldn't get into it. Am I missing something, is there better settings or a mod that fixes it?
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Comment on Peter Cullen dead: 'Transformers' Optimus Prime voice was 85 in ~movies
DistractionRectangle LinkPeter Cullen explains how he created the voice for Optimus Prime To play Optimus Prime, Cullen said he channeled the spirit of his older brother, Larry, a decorated U.S. Marine who served in...Peter Cullen explains how he created the voice for Optimus Prime
To play Optimus Prime, Cullen said he channeled the spirit of his older brother, Larry, a decorated U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam from 1965-68.
“When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter and he was a man and a superhero to me,” he said in 2006. “I watched him and listened to him. I’d never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, [that voice] just came right out of me, and I sounded like Optimus.”
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Comment on Dolly Parton, country music legend, dies at 80 in ~music
DistractionRectangle Link ParentTo add, you can stream it. It'll be available tomorrow for Hulu/Disney+ subscribers and will run tonight on DirectTV/Fubo, which both have free trials. Source:...To add, you can stream it. It'll be available tomorrow for Hulu/Disney+ subscribers and will run tonight on DirectTV/Fubo, which both have free trials.
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Comment on Library resources megathread in ~books
DistractionRectangle Link ParentHuh, I've just been using Wikipedia for the latest linksHuh, I've just been using Wikipedia for the latest links
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Comment on Epic Games Store will support Linux "soon" in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentHa, and maybe human people want windows search to search their local device, instead of serve them ads from the web. I used to do windows insider, this gem is from an email I got this week:Ha, and maybe human people want windows search to search their local device, instead of serve them ads from the web. I used to do windows insider, this gem is from an email I got this week:
Clearer results, a calmer home screen, removal of promotional content from web results, and prioritization of local search results are just a few of the updates to Windows Search Box that aim to make your experience faster and more relevant.
These updates are gradually rolling out to Insiders in the Experimental channel.
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Comment on Help with troubleshooting PC hardware in ~tech
DistractionRectangle LinkAre you trusting the board was wired correctly to start with? Or did you consult the manual to figure out which pins to short? It could be someone else worked on this and didn't hook up the front...I found where it plugged into the mobo and, on advice from the internet, used a screwdriver to jump the pins for the power switch. Nothing happened
Are you trusting the board was wired correctly to start with? Or did you consult the manual to figure out which pins to short?
It could be someone else worked on this and didn't hook up the front panel properly
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Comment on Defective D&D magic items in ~games.tabletop
DistractionRectangle LinkDo the players get to know the defects up front? Or are these variants of items that do the expected things without the defects (at a much higher cost) and the shopkeep has these things discounted...Do the players get to know the defects up front? Or are these variants of items that do the expected things without the defects (at a much higher cost) and the shopkeep has these things discounted simply because they're used/returned, manufacturing seconds, rejects from QA, approaching their expiration (or expiration unknown as the label is missing), made as part of an apprenticeship/prisoner reform program... Etc and players stumble upon the defects through use?
Also, for the Scroll of Summon Bear, you could add a mostly useless fail, where you get a bear rug, taxidermy bear (which may work on accident as it looks real enough to scare enemies), massive carnival stuffed teddy bear which spawns on and temporarily encumbers the player, meek bespectacled Teddy from guild accounting, etc.
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
DistractionRectangle LinkFinally found my childhood GBA copy and set it up on a soft modded switch (retroarch + mgba core). I too have missed a bunch of CGAs, but hopefully can block out some time for this. This was my...Finally found my childhood GBA copy and set it up on a soft modded switch (retroarch + mgba core). I too have missed a bunch of CGAs, but hopefully can block out some time for this. This was my second Zelda title, and the first one I beat (passing exposure to ocarina of time, which I didn't actually play through until it came to the gamecube)!
I gotta say, it holds up really well. Some games have a look that's period specific or telling about the hardware of the time, but this to me seems timeless. I've only played a few minutes into the castle, but I've got to say the heart drop animation is pure art. It's just delightful to see it float to the ground. I'll probably do a separate write up over the weekend about my previous experience with the game, life at the time, that sort of thing. For now though, let's start with the immediate hard question:
What did the other tildren name Link?
I've never been creative at naming things. I usually just stick with the in universe name for whatever character I'm playing as; Link is Link, Andy in Advanced Wars is Andy, and so on. I do envy those with more imagination, and so I'd love bask in the creativity of other tildos
Edit: a link to the GBA manual
:D
I have no words! Fantastic turnout everyone!