DurplePurple's recent activity

  1. Comment on Apple has kept an illegal monopoly over smartphones in US, Justice Department says in antitrust suit in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    That's because that red nub thing IBM made in the 90s is way better than even Apples touch pads. Touch pads in general just kinda suck imo.

    That's because that red nub thing IBM made in the 90s is way better than even Apples touch pads. Touch pads in general just kinda suck imo.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Apple has kept an illegal monopoly over smartphones in US, Justice Department says in antitrust suit in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    I can't stand their GUIs personally, it feels like you've gotta fight the machine just to navigate around and do basic tasks. Even Android was a lot more usable before it became completely focused...

    I can't stand their GUIs personally, it feels like you've gotta fight the machine just to navigate around and do basic tasks.

    Even Android was a lot more usable before it became completely focused on the touchscreen and gestures for input...based on the iPhone being popular.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on What is a simple tech tip that changed how you use your computer or other devices in a significant way? in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    KDE for Linux has this with Android iif you set up KDE Connect.

    KDE for Linux has this with Android iif you set up KDE Connect.

    7 votes

  4. Comment on Failures in accuracy, ethics and responsibility with Linus Tech Tips and LMG as a whole in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    The budget market changes often enough (thanks to the used market) that I'd wager LTT could do a video every few months covering what PC you could get for specific budgets and highlighting good...

    The budget market changes often enough (thanks to the used market) that I'd wager LTT could do a video every few months covering what PC you could get for specific budgets and highlighting good upgrade paths for specific popular but aging parts going by the Steam Hardware Survey.

    I don't mean a semi-regular Scrapyard Wars either, I'm meaning something a bit drier than that and more akin to just a 10-15 minute overview of the used (and when it comes back, budget) markets at least in the US and Canada. (I'm Aussie so it'd be pointless for me, but LTT getting more eyes on that segment might also lead to other reviewers including local ones doing similar coverage.)

    6 votes

  5. Comment on Failures in accuracy, ethics and responsibility with Linus Tech Tips and LMG as a whole in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    I wouldn't even say that GN mildly implicated that Noctua paid for LTT's loyalty honestly, the closest he got was mentioning a slightly bodgy conclusion in the NH-D15 review but even then he went...

    I wouldn't even say that GN mildly implicated that Noctua paid for LTT's loyalty honestly, the closest he got was mentioning a slightly bodgy conclusion in the NH-D15 review but even then he went out of his way to make the implication that it's more of an subconscious bias in LTT's staff for Noctua's products and that the screwdriver collaboration is a very public representation of that subconscious bias rather than implying it was a simple "scratch your back if you scratch mine" deal between LMG and Noctua.

    Basically, it's come across more as Steve showing concern that the relevant people in both companies aren't aware of the potential pitfalls of the collaboration rather than Steve trying to imply there's actual shady behavior here.

    22 votes

  6. Comment on Why does market fundamentalism have so much clout in economics? in ~finance

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    Pretty much every single example you gave is demonstrably worse in fundamental ways, even if it's become more advanced as humanity has become more advanced. Most of the western hemisphere is...

    Pretty much every single example you gave is demonstrably worse in fundamental ways, even if it's become more advanced as humanity has become more advanced.

    basically all factors such as housing

    Most of the western hemisphere is undergoing some form of housing crisis at the moment, which at least for where I live is largely down to greedy property developers along with a series of governments happy to play ball with them.

    food

    We had shortages during COVID and since then inflation that is, once again, seemingly driven primarily by greed rather than anything with merit.

    health care

    Do I even need to talk about how the American healthcare system will heal you, but also attempt to bankrupt you? I get most of the western hemisphere has better healthcare than America but I also know that at least where I live, the attempts to American-ise the system have been non-stop for my entire life.

    recreation

    There's many more things we can do for amusement true, but the bulk of modern ones have huge amounts of asterisks attached versus most of the recreation options available in the specified earlier times.

    For example, you didn't have to worry about which streaming service has the TV show you wanted to watch or about changing the relevant financial details when you find out the one you're using got hacked and leaked data among many, many examples.

    economic opportunity

    Then why is stuff like home-ownership largely going down due to financial issues?

    education

    Costs an absolute shitload these days, to the point where a number of people have crippled economic opportunity due to having an expensive student debt they can't ever repay due to being unable to get a job with a high enough pay.

    Don't assume that the fruits of humanities advancement is the same as an increase in quality, they're two separate things that can affect one another. (eg. Sometimes advancement will directly lead to higher quality, or higher quality will lead to the rate of advancement slowing/speeding up)

    1 vote

  7. Comment on The surprisingly popular world of online trainspotting in ~transport

    DurplePurple
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Even down in Australia it's getting popular. Steamrail regularly runs tours using heritage diesel and steam locomotives hauling heritage carriages around Victoria, where I live in a smaller city...

    Even down in Australia it's getting popular. Steamrail regularly runs tours using heritage diesel and steam locomotives hauling heritage carriages around Victoria, where I live in a smaller city there's a former station along the mainline into the city where one of the platforms is still extant and whenever a steam-hauled tour goes past without fail it's packed with not just railfans, but families with younger children here to see the steam train go past. I caught the last one going to where I live and the platform at the main, still-active, station was more packed than on Grand Final day with people just there to see the train as well which is really saying something.

    From what I've heard patronage is right up after the pandemics and lockdowns here too.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Artificial intelligence is a familiar-looking monster – Large language models have much older cousins in markets and bureaucracies in ~humanities

  9. Comment on Artificial intelligence is a familiar-looking monster – Large language models have much older cousins in markets and bureaucracies in ~humanities

  10. Comment on What are your latest gaming achievements? in ~games

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    You can still absolutely play competitive multiplayer even as your senses and reflexes dull over the years, you've just gotta adapt what you play. For example, class-based shooters such as Team...

    You can still absolutely play competitive multiplayer even as your senses and reflexes dull over the years, you've just gotta adapt what you play.

    For example, class-based shooters such as Team Fortress 2 are a lot more forgiving to the rigours of age than twitch shooters are because you can just adapt what classes and playstyles you use to your own personal strengths and weaknesses, TF2 in particular is balanced in a way that means effective teamwork and team strategy is going to pay off far more than a handful of really good players too which means even a mediocre player can still be a very important part of an effective team in the right situations. Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Medic, Sniper, Spy and Engineer all have strategies that don't really require you to have great senses or fast reflexes to be effective and I'd even argue that some of them (eg. Medic, Engineer, Sniper) have traits that mean the benefits/drawbacks to aging in general provide more of a net benefit than a drawback as they would with the more fast-paced classes such as Scout. Plus, it's a Valve game in Source engine so if you're used to CS:S' UI, input handling, netcode, etc then TF2's is very similar if not the same.

    Outside of shooters I've found slower paced strategy games are very fun too, the Civilization series being an obvious start point. The thrill I get when I plan out a strategy in the early game and manage to pull it off and win in the late-game is like nothing I've ever gotten from a shooter personally.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Is there a children's TV show in your country that is universally loved and became part of your country's culture? in ~tv

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    That is true, but it is a very strong representation of modern Australian culture so it still counts to me. Kinda in a reverse way, rather than becoming a part of our culture like Play School or...

    That is true, but it is a very strong representation of modern Australian culture so it still counts to me. Kinda in a reverse way, rather than becoming a part of our culture like Play School or The Wiggles have it does such a good job of showing off some of the more unique sides of our culture that it's just as culturally relevant.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on Let's talk retro tech in ~hobbies

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    It's definitely far less straight forward than most people think, although it should be noted there are means of getting around basically every single one of the issues with modern TVs and retro...

    It's definitely far less straight forward than most people think, although it should be noted there are means of getting around basically every single one of the issues with modern TVs and retro consoles for what ends up being a great experience. Best bet for retro gear on a modern TV is to get an external analog to digital converter of some sort (Or mod the console for digital output and just use an upscaler) along with one of the more recent TVs that has gaming as a bigger focus with the inclusion of Freesync and higher refresh rates than were ever common even on CRT TVs but by far the most important, a low latency mode for at least some of the inputs that does minimal or even no processing on the image.

    With that said, you can still get away with other much cheaper combos if you do your research: I run a PS1 and PS2 through an el cheapo 4k TV with decent results in terms of latency and image quality thanks to a no-name brand converter box I got from eBay, most of those boxes tend to be shite in terms of quality but some of them are decent budget options even from a latency standpoint; if I got an OSSC the biggest benefit would be the less muddy picture and being able to plug my SNES into it as well. (Which is pointless until I get some games or an SDCard reading cart for it)

    1 vote

  13. Comment on Starfield gameplay in ~games

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    I remember hearing that announcement to, it did come off very much like the scandals around FO4 and FO76 made them realise that going too far down the casualisation rabbit hole was going to leave...

    I remember hearing that announcement to, it did come off very much like the scandals around FO4 and FO76 made them realise that going too far down the casualisation rabbit hole was going to leave them bereft of what made them popular in the first place.

    As much as I love Morrowind it could benefit from some simplification, I think Oblivion and Skyrim both had the right mix of simple:complex for their mechanics although I'd change the specific way they handled certain things. (eg. Armour being split up into multiple pieces rather than a single "torso" piece or the like is something even more casual players can handle and tend to enjoy because of the cosmetic element it can add)

  14. Comment on Google is getting a lot worse because of the Reddit blackouts in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    It works alright in some servers in my experience, but that's because they've set things up intelligently with an FAQ and guides answering less regularly asked questions that are relatively easy...

    It works alright in some servers in my experience, but that's because they've set things up intelligently with an FAQ and guides answering less regularly asked questions that are relatively easy to find plus a large enough community that usually you'll get an answer in an hour or two if you do have to ask.

    RROx is an example of this in my opinion. And I say that as someone who by-and-large shares your opinion.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Bosses are fed up with remote work for four main reasons. Some of them are undeniable. in ~life

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    I think it could be best served by a buddy system where employees who have volunteered themselves as being able to help out new hires (Probably in exchange for a higher hourly rate or some other...

    I think it could be best served by a buddy system where employees who have volunteered themselves as being able to help out new hires (Probably in exchange for a higher hourly rate or some other benefit) will work quite closely with a new-hire for their first week and still help the manager with onboarding them for the whole probation period, with the buddy employee's normal duties being taken over by others temporarily as if they were sick during that week if they have to spend that much time working with the new-hire.

    That doesn't just go for WFH either, I mean in general. It's basically trying to turn "show 'em the ropes" into an official process with all the red tape involved with doing that.

  16. Comment on Bosses are fed up with remote work for four main reasons. Some of them are undeniable. in ~life

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    I feel like this could be overcome by organising a monthly meet up at a decent bar or something with a foosball table you could book for the night. Just to go on a related tangent, regular...

    My biggest regret about working from home has been that we don't have foosball tournaments anymore.

    I feel like this could be overcome by organising a monthly meet up at a decent bar or something with a foosball table you could book for the night.

    Just to go on a related tangent, regular meet-ups like this would go a long way to providing the camaraderie seen in workplaces that apparently is missing from WFH. Here in Australia it's common for workplaces to do a Christmas breakup where the workplace will figure out how many employees are interested in going, then book out that many seats at a nearby restaurant or bar or similar and foot the bill even in workplaces that don't close over the Christmas period, normally at these events you'll have a mixture of talking about work and just shooting the shit with my favourites being one workplace that'd regularly go to a local bar that'd basically give us a pool table for the night so we'd run a pseudo tournament. This concept could be extended to a monthly optional meetup between employees where the idea is just socialisation and the like, whether the workplace pays or the employees pay for themselves I'd wager it'd probably work better than going into the office does for camaraderie.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Pour one out for HDDs because PC games are starting to require SSDs in ~games

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    I'd just grab an external or more internal drives. Most games don't and won't need fast enough I/O to genuinely require anything more than a SATA SSD for a long time yet which are reasonably...

    I'd just grab an external or more internal drives. Most games don't and won't need fast enough I/O to genuinely require anything more than a SATA SSD for a long time yet which are reasonably cheap, and even beyond that you can always get an HDD and use Steams library feature to move games to/from that storage whenever you feel like playing them or realise you haven't felt like playing them for a while.

    I have a desktop so expansion is easy but I have an 1TB M.2 boot drive, a 2TB SATA SSD bulk programs/games drive and a 6TB 7200rpm HDD that the user files along with whatever games aren't being played/don't care about storage speed go on.

  18. Comment on I gave Lemmy, Kbin, and Beehaw a chance. I think I'll be sticking with Tildes. in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    My only complaint about Tildes is that it's default css is set too narrow for a ultrawide screen, giving the "newspaper with just one column" effect. But it's not anywhere nearly as bad as a lot...

    My only complaint about Tildes is that it's default css is set too narrow for a ultrawide screen, giving the "newspaper with just one column" effect.

    But it's not anywhere nearly as bad as a lot of other websites are for that, the way the site is coded makes it a fairly easy fix and when I complained about it in my first post @cfabbro was nice enough to post a userscript that fixes it. Heck, I stopped using any of the Fediverse examples because I wasn't able to reliably make it less narrow and hate browsing websites like that.

    4 votes

  19. Comment on The Reddit blackout is breaking Reddit in ~tech

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    Most of the text heavy subs wound up with at least one YouTube, Instagram or TikTok account that just read out posts with AI generated voices.

    Most of the text heavy subs wound up with at least one YouTube, Instagram or TikTok account that just read out posts with AI generated voices.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on What gaming rumor just won't die? in ~games

    DurplePurple
    Link Parent
    There is no "best" solution honestly, it comes down to your needs, requirements and IT skills. Someone who deals with VMs and VFIO a lot at work and doesn't play a lot of MP FPS' would be best...

    There is no "best" solution honestly, it comes down to your needs, requirements and IT skills. Someone who deals with VMs and VFIO a lot at work and doesn't play a lot of MP FPS' would be best suited to a gaming VM whereas someone whose playing specific MP FPS' might need to dual boot because the DRMs/anticheats that throw up problems in Linux also typically throw up problems in VMs that aren't so easy to get around.

    Personally I dual boot because it's what I know and am used to, plus stuff like winbtrfs + btrfs' CoW nature make sharing games between both OS' extremely easy while adding some other benefits because you can just have one subvolume for Windows and one for Linux and keep separate game installs for each OS on those subvolumes, btrfs will automatically share whatever files are the same between installs without any of the problems that come with using a shared ntfs drive and the same game install folder for both OS' plus the snapshotting is also extremely handy for when a game update breaks something and you can't otherwise roll back. (It's worth noting that some people have reported data loss with winbtrfs but that's not as huge of a problem with a drive only used for game installs that can just be verified or reinstalled and I haven't personally encountered any of those problems in over 2 years of using it on a btrfs raid5 array, which is getting up there in terms of poking sleeping dragons in the eye.)

    1 vote