DistractionRectangle's recent activity
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Comment on Tech support request: my game stream is lagging every five minutes in ~tech
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Comment on Donald Trump officials blame mistake for setting off confrontation with Harvard in ~society
DistractionRectangle Link ParentIt's more like they wanted to boil the frog, but this Administration have proven to be both impatient and incompetent. They stand by the demands, but probably intended to slow walk them and get...It's more like they wanted to boil the frog, but this Administration have proven to be both impatient and incompetent.
They stand by the demands, but probably intended to slow walk them and get Harvard and co to slip down the slope with small concessions. The mistake was officially demanding everything all at once. This has created a very public splash and now other Universities are banding together to fight the administration [0]. So not only are they not getting what they wanted, they incited firm opposition against their demands, and now have to fight for it in the public eye.
Similarly, that's what happened with the deportations. They had an opportunity to boil the frog, all they had to do is slow their roll and walk through the door the Supreme Court left them in their 9-0 opinion (at least pretend to try to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US). Not only did they dig in against it, they ramped up. They're more aggressively going after students on visas [1], people with green cards [2], "simply floating" the idea of deporting our most "heinous" criminals with citizenship [3], making immigrants "financially dead" [4]... etc (there's certainly more, like ICE grabbing children off the street, grabbing people they know they weren't sent for, etc etc, but this was meant to be a comment and not an essay - I leave that as an exercise for the reader). Not to mention the absolutely appalling rhetoric/propaganda/childishness that's come out of the White House regarding Garcia [5]. It's such an affront to common decency, sense, and the Court that they cannot turn a blind eye to it.
[0] https://www.yahoo.com/news/harvard-resistance-trump-igniting-broader-095522091.html
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/18/us-revokes-nearly-1500-student-visas-who-are-the-targets
[2] https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/nx-s1-5339698/green-card-holders-detained-border-crackdown
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs32oUJPXWU
[4] https://apnews.com/article/living-immigrants-dead-social-security-numbers-trump-c10737cbe36e3108fb244a555777d880
[5] https://xcancel.com/WhiteHouse/status/1913241658579440126#m -
Comment on What it would take for Donald Trump administration to change Harvard’s US tax status in ~society
DistractionRectangle Link ParentThe difference I think, is even though the administration doesn't always follow the law, they'll have a hard time dragging Harvard into the mud with them. Harvard has the means, knowledge, and...The difference I think, is even though the administration doesn't always follow the law, they'll have a hard time dragging Harvard into the mud with them. Harvard has the means, knowledge, and influence/connections to fight them in the confines of the court system.
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Comment on Donald Trump officials blame mistake for setting off confrontation with Harvard in ~society
DistractionRectangle Link ParentFeels the the Narcissist's Prayer. It's looking like the White House won't be successful in bullying Harvard, at least not anytime soon, so they're distancing Trump from the outcome. We're at the...Feels the the Narcissist's Prayer. It's looking like the White House won't be successful in bullying Harvard, at least not anytime soon, so they're distancing Trump from the outcome. We're at the "it's not my fault" phase.
Note how they still stand by the contents of the letter, the mistake was just making it public, and the demands remain.
The letter “was signed by three federal officials, placed on official letterhead, was sent from the email inbox of a senior federal official and was sent on April 11 as promised,” Harvard said in a statement on Friday. “Recipients of such correspondence from the U.S. government — even when it contains sweeping demands that are astonishing in their overreach — do not question its authenticity or seriousness.”
Still, Ms. Mailman said, there is a potential pathway to resume discussions if the university, among other measures, follows through on what Mr. Trump wants and apologizes to its students for fostering a campus where there was antisemitism.
It's a "mistake" in the same way deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a "mistake." The mistake is the attention it's receiving. They still stand by the action/intent.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DistractionRectangle (edited )Link ParentHow timely. This came across the frontpage HN the other day, it's basically a tool that manages installation, dependencies and project structure. They have mixed opinions, but I'm personally all...Then I remembered why I never tried it before... Installing Lua on anything other than a Unix-based OS is a pain in the arse, and there is no official installer for Windows.
How timely. This came across the frontpage HN the other day, it's basically a tool that manages installation, dependencies and project structure. They have mixed opinions, but I'm personally all for it. luarocks is fine for dependencies, but the versioning/installation problem historically requires another layer of abstraction to deal with (which is why we have nvm, conda/uv, etc)
Edit: a word
Edit edit: typos/clarity
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Comment on 'politics.usa' tag proposal in ~tildes
DistractionRectangle LinkMostly a lurker, US based, and I agree. Dont let perfect be the enemy of good. Politics is messy, and always changing underfoot. I don't think there is a perfect filtering solution. Tagging by...Mostly a lurker, US based, and I agree.
Dont let perfect be the enemy of good. Politics is messy, and always changing underfoot. I don't think there is a perfect filtering solution. Tagging by country seems like extra work, and it is, but that's not quite the proposal here. It's distinctly about tagging USA politics from the rest. We're at a point where USA politics posts dwarf posts about all other countries combined, so it makes sense that it get its own tag.
It's messy, in that other countries can be involved in USA politics. Which is perhaps a good indication that something shouldn't be tagged to a particular country. The
politics.usatag should be reserved for USA centric posts, not necessarily all posts which involve the USA. It's sometimes hard to draw that line, like what's happening with USA/El Salvador. Does it have global implications? Or is it of primary concern to USA citizens/residents? I feel this is a decent litmus test for applying the tag. I'd say it falls on side of USA centric and should be tagged as such. Tariffs on the other hand, have global implications, not limited to just the countries involved.But back to the topic at hand. Were we to consistently get an influx of political posts from a variety of countries, we'd almost certainly want per country tags. Right now that distinction isn't necessary, but the USA/non-USA distinction is. Tagging USA centric posts
politics.usais forwards compatible with a future where other per country tags might be necessary, and serves the current need.I think this is particularly timely, as those following USA politics know this weekend is probably going to be generating a bunch of news//tildes posts and it's probably just the tip of the ice berg.
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Comment on Anubis works in ~tech
DistractionRectangle Link ParentYes, but at that point they're giving a strong signal that they are very likely a bot. This deals with badly behaving bots that try to pretend they are users. How you deal with bots that say...Yes, but at that point they're giving a strong signal that they are
indeedvery likely a bot.This deals with badly behaving bots that try to pretend they are users. How you deal with bots that say they're bots is an implementation detail and more personal choice left to you.
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Comment on The world’s highest security prison: CECOT in ~life
DistractionRectangle LinkI usually don't talk about politics, most things aren't worth arguing about, and there are certainly more informed persons than myself to argue them. But this. Holy fuck, this is something else....I usually don't talk about politics, most things aren't worth arguing about, and there are certainly more informed persons than myself to argue them.
But this. Holy fuck, this is something else. We've very quickly slipped down the slope and now there's talk about whether there's a legal framework to deport US citizens to this prison. [0]
In the same breath, they're arguing they cannot, and cannot be compelled to even try, to retrieve persons mistakenly deported to this same place. [1] In effect, they're claiming they cannot and should not be expected to uphold a person's rights or expectation to due process once deported. It's a one way trap door. They're at the mercy of El Salvador. It's not hard to see how this could be used against political dissidents to remove them and erase their rights.
Oops, we accidentally deported Gavin Newsom because we confused him with Newsom Gavin, but we can't be held accountable and aren't obligated to even try get him back.
I find it gross we'll do negotiations and a prisoner swap for a person who violated the laws of the country they were visiting [2], but won't even try to get back someone who we "accidentally" forcefully deported. No, the Administration is actively appealing and arguing against this.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs32oUJPXWU
[1] https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/04/supreme-court-analysis-trump-black-sites.html
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Comment on Moonlight: Open source game streaming client in ~games
DistractionRectangle LinkAnother happy moonlight + sunshine user here! It works amazing well on both linux and windows (I have a dual boot setup that I also sometimes virtualize with vfio). Over time, I've added some...Another happy moonlight + sunshine user here!
It works amazing well on both linux and windows (I have a dual boot setup that I also sometimes virtualize with vfio). Over time, I've added some hooks like switching to a virtual monitor, adjusting refresh rate/rtss frame cap (separate from refresh rate due to a quirk in VDD)/resolution as well as changing the volume and locking the user session before and after a streaming session.
There's a touch of latency, but I don't have ethernet runs so this is all over mesh wifi using the 5Ghz band.
I also love my steam controller, so I went as far as debugging steam controller support for moonlight for steamlink so I could create a cursed setup where I can use the steam controller in bluetooth mode to control the steamlink/moonlight, and then pass it through to the host over virtualhere in normal mode.
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Comment on Obsidian is now free for work in ~tech
DistractionRectangle Link ParentYeah, this tracks with what I've seen. There's a lot of cross over between the desire for obsidian portable and using it at work when work cant/won't pay for it. Usually these are the people...Yeah, this tracks with what I've seen. There's a lot of cross over between the desire for obsidian portable and using it at work when work cant/won't pay for it. Usually these are the people already paying for a personal license/sync, and love it so much they want to use it at work, but work won't spring for a license.
I suspect corporate licensing was a tough sell because it's plugin model is a security nightmare. So really, I think this is just Obsidian staying in touch with reality and their user base. If anything, I'm happy this change is taking place, because if they continued to persue b2b licensing, I'd expect them to enshittify the product with corporate features in order to make themselves more attractive.
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Comment on App/browser extension idea if it doesn't already exist: likely bot database in ~tech
DistractionRectangle Link ParentI actually quite like this idea. This can play quite nicely in weighting user feedback to flag social media accounts. Like you could have an algorithm that weights user feedback by: how far they...I actually quite like this idea. This can play quite nicely in weighting user feedback to flag social media accounts.
Like you could have an algorithm that weights user feedback by:
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how far they are removed from the root node (you; the threshold for reports needed to flag a social increases as you get further from the root)
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how far they are from each other (how spread out they are in the invitee tree; less weight is given to clusters, more weight is given reports from users far from each other)
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historical accuracy (how often their reports aligned with the consensus).
Combine this with rate limiting on invites, a heuristic to remove users that misreport too often, etc and you have a solid way to boot strap trust and self regulate
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Comment on App/browser extension idea if it doesn't already exist: likely bot database in ~tech
DistractionRectangle (edited )LinkTrust is difficult. Once this reaches a certain scale, you'll have bots trying to game the system and report other bots as human in order to evade the filter. So there's the meta problem of...Trust is difficult. Once this reaches a certain scale, you'll have bots trying to game the system and report other bots as human in order to evade the filter. So there's the meta problem of shorting your own user based between bots/mal actors and real users. How do you do that without invading the privacy of your users?
Edit: There's also other meta problems, like identifying AI//ripoff imagery, and taking a viability survey to understand the real correlation between Ai profile pictures and bot accounts. Like that'll probably work for Facebook where profile Pic strongly tied to identity, but probably won't on forums/platforms like discord.
I very much like this idea, I would suggest you start with a singular target platform (like target bot accounts on reddit ), and branching out to other platforms once the solution has matured//been proven.
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Comment on Bungie uncovers an issue in their distribution of random weapon perks in Destiny 2, detailed and interesting write up of the fix in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentPrivacy badger seems to break it for me. So probably blocking a cookie or something it shouldn't.Privacy badger seems to break it for me. So probably blocking a cookie or something it shouldn't.
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Comment on Computer Airflow in ~comp
DistractionRectangle LinkHaving intake next to exhaust will kinda negate them. Each will source part of their supply from the others output. For the most part, the difference between positive and negative pressure setups...Having intake next to exhaust will kinda negate them. Each will source part of their supply from the others output.
For the most part, the difference between positive and negative pressure setups is negligible. I like positive pressure for less dust in the case (IMO having to do a full pc clean less often is better than having to clean more frequently to maintain a marginal gain).
Intuitively, if we assume the fans move the same amount of air in either orientation, then the mass flow should be the same for positive pressure vs negative pressure. The only real difference then is from the case pressure. You'd expect that that higher pressure would aid in heat transfer, and parts would be cooler.
They did some extended tests here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsD355lWows&t=864
And you'll note that the GPU temp is better under positive pressure, while the CPU temp is not. Why? Well, we aren't cooling the independently of each other, and the orientation of most GPU exhausts is towards the CPU/CPU cooler. So better cooling of the GPU means hotter exhaust which usually means worse cooling of the CPU.
Which brings be back to the original point, it doesn't really matter, it'll be a trade off (dust vs less dust, cooler CPU warmer GPU or vice versa), and as far as temps go, it'll be a difference of a couple of degrees which can be tuned away with fan curves. I really like Fan Control for dialing in fan curves
Edit: better clarity
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Comment on Subnautica 2 | Official teaser trailer in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentThe reaper was truly terrifying. I too was in a seamoth behind the aurora, I felt safe because the water was shallow with reasonable visibility. It got me before I even saw it. Suddenly I'm in...The reaper was truly terrifying. I too was in a seamoth behind the aurora, I felt safe because the water was shallow with reasonable visibility.
It got me before I even saw it.
Suddenly I'm in it's jaws, and it crushes my seamoth. I barely escaped with my seaglide.
After that, explorations were always tense. Always terrifying.
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Comment on Switch emulator Ryujinx is shut down in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentYeah ldn builds used their custom match making server. You don't really want to use the ldn builds unless you intend to play with other people that aren't on the same LAN. LDN builds were a...Yeah ldn builds used their custom match making server.
You don't really want to use the ldn builds unless you intend to play with other people that aren't on the same LAN. LDN builds were a private fork off an older public build, so for most games the public builds will perform better.
Yuzu is usually recommended if your system can't sustain a decent framerate with ryujinx. Yuzu can usually play older titles fine, but newer titles usually have problems. It trades accurate emulation for speed, which helps on more demaning titles.
Ryujinx is pretty great out of the box. At first it'llstutter as it builds the shader cache and pptc. The pptc is the persistent profiled translation cache, basically it uses runtime information to better compile the game for future playthroughs. It reduces loading time and improves performance of further runs.
The pptc doesn't play well with mods, and so it is turned off when you load mods for a game. Aside from longer loading times, you probably probably won't notice a difference on less demanding titles, but you will notice on more demanding games like ToTK. In other words, if you find the game is more stuttery//not hitting the framerate you'd like with mods, try disabling them and seeing how the game performs (note: you won't see the benefits of pptc until a second non modded playthrough - so play for like a half hour plus then )
Sooo as for ryujinx vs yuzu,
Try emulating in this order:
- ryujinx w/ mods
- ryujinx w/o mods
- yuzu w/ or w/o mods
On a game by game basis; modding one game will only disable pptc for that game.
I don't have a steam deck, but as far as I understand it ryujinx runs most games perfectly fine.
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Comment on Switch emulator Ryujinx is shut down in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentAs of now, it all still works. Amiibos, ldn (if you have an ldn build), etc. Their ldn server is officially going to run until the 31st, after that you'll have to use work arounds. Those are the...As of now, it all still works. Amiibos, ldn (if you have an ldn build), etc. Their ldn server is officially going to run until the 31st, after that you'll have to use work arounds. Those are the only two things with a potential to break soonish. Preserving the amiibo functionality is easy enough, and there's work around for ldn going forward.
Ryujinx was fairly mature, and there's only a few games left in the switch pipeline (afaik, the new Mario Luigi game and something else). Echoes of Wisdom launched without much issue (aside from exposing a quirk with the AMD GPU backend), so I'd say we're probably near peak emulation compatibility.
Unless a future graphics driver introduces breakage, it'll continue running fine. So don't let this put a damper on your emulation experience
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Comment on Switch emulator Ryujinx is shut down in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentI'm in a similar position. I actually started learning about VMs because I wanted to contribute improvements to Armeilleure. Mostly I just wanted to fix it so pptc could be compatible with mods,...I'm in a similar position. I actually started learning about VMs because I wanted to contribute improvements to Armeilleure. Mostly I just wanted to fix it so pptc could be compatible with mods, but some old draft prs suggest there's room for improving performance. I plan to still hack away at it because if nothing else it's a good learning opportunity.
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Comment on Switch emulator Ryujinx is shut down in ~games
DistractionRectangle Link ParentNon-disclosure agreements are pretty standard. I doubt gdkchan can say anything, and the other devs don't know more than that he was approached. Since they went after him personally rather than...Non-disclosure agreements are pretty standard. I doubt gdkchan can say anything, and the other devs don't know more than that he was approached. Since they went after him personally rather than DCMA the repo, I suspect that project is legally in the clear.
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Comment on Switch emulator Ryujinx is shut down in ~games
DistractionRectangle LinkSo it's been a day. According to other devs, apparently Nintendo lawyers approached gdkchan at his home, and you know the result. He was a core part Ryujinx development and leadership, so Nintendo...So it's been a day. According to other devs, apparently Nintendo lawyers approached gdkchan at his home, and you know the result. He was a core part Ryujinx development and leadership, so Nintendo has successfully disrupted leadership as well as deplatformed the emulator. The other devs naturally, are stepping back from the project rather than trying to continue it.
In it's wake, we learned a lot about internal projects that were in the works, and actually found some of the source code for some of it. I expect we might get the source of other WIP initiatives as time goes on. E.g. I found the source for the WIP android build bere:
https://github.com/emmauss/Ryujinx/tree/libryujinx_bionicThe source code is MIT licensed and is not legally encumbered like yuzu, so I expect that the community will eventually converge on a successor fork.
Pull up the moonlight stats overlay (either from moonlight settings or ctrl + alt + shift +s).
I'd also try using an ethernet cable if you have a spare. It's a quick test that either affirms your assumptions or gives you a hint that the problem is in the wifi path.
Edit: a word