Ephemere's recent activity
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Comment on Please Recommend Me A Video Game in ~games
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Comment on Man accused of Christchurch mosque shootings pleads not guilty to 51 murder charges in ~news
Ephemere Link Parent Thank you for posting that, it was very interesting. I suppose as the crimes under consideration are unprecedented in New Zealand, they may make novel choices, but it certainly informs what to...Thank you for posting that, it was very interesting. I suppose as the crimes under consideration are unprecedented in New Zealand, they may make novel choices, but it certainly informs what to expect.
I suppose quite a bit depends on the accused's behavior in court. While indeed I imagine everyone wants justice, we probably also don't need a speech from the man about how glad he is to have killed each person by name. I suppose I have very low expectations regarding the alleged mass murderer.
2 votes -
Comment on Ghazni's ancient tower collapses in Afghanistan in ~news
Ephemere Link Well, that's quite a shame. Though I suppose safeguarding such archeological sites in the face of a decades long civil war is extremely difficult, but still.Well, that's quite a shame. Though I suppose safeguarding such archeological sites in the face of a decades long civil war is extremely difficult, but still.
2 votes -
Comment on Man accused of Christchurch mosque shootings pleads not guilty to 51 murder charges in ~news
Ephemere Link Parent I suppose my thought was that it would only take some small number of that to max out the punishment he could possibly receive, at which point the rest of the charges could be held pending unless...I suppose my thought was that it would only take some small number of that to max out the punishment he could possibly receive, at which point the rest of the charges could be held pending unless it should become necessary that they be so.
Then again, brevity is probably not a virtue here, and the families of the victims would probably prefer that each be tried, regardless of whether it makes any difference.
2 votes -
Comment on Man accused of Christchurch mosque shootings pleads not guilty to 51 murder charges in ~news
Ephemere Link While I am of course displeased that this man finds continuing ways to be breathtakingly awful, I suppose the only part of this I'm actually surprised by is that the trial is estimated to take six...While I am of course displeased that this man finds continuing ways to be breathtakingly awful, I suppose the only part of this I'm actually surprised by is that the trial is estimated to take six weeks. Given the circumstances of the crime, is there any particular doubt as to his guilt? Not that I'm suggesting that the man be railroaded, as due process is indeed due even to the most horrible among us, but will it really take that long to demonstrate that this man deserves a maximum sentence?
2 votes -
Comment on Fermi problem game thread in ~misc
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Comment on What is a contradiction or dissonance you live with on a regular basis? in ~talk
Ephemere Link Parent I’m quite with you, and I don’t even have the reason of not cooking one’s own meals to fall back on. Hopefully some day I’ll live my aspirations, but so far not so good.I’m quite with you, and I don’t even have the reason of not cooking one’s own meals to fall back on. Hopefully some day I’ll live my aspirations, but so far not so good.
3 votes -
Comment on Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - First Look Trailer in ~games
Ephemere Link Parent That's kind of a shame that they did so. I imagine they didn't want to scrap the desert section of the game, but I imagine they could have invented something else to do there had they decided to.That's kind of a shame that they did so. I imagine they didn't want to scrap the desert section of the game, but I imagine they could have invented something else to do there had they decided to.
5 votes -
Comment on Introducing Matrix 1.0 and the Matrix.org Foundation in ~comp
Ephemere Link That's awesome! I'm a pretty big fan of matrix (well, matrix/riot, I suppose) so I'm glad to see it doing well. Now if only my extended social circle shared my love.That's awesome! I'm a pretty big fan of matrix (well, matrix/riot, I suppose) so I'm glad to see it doing well. Now if only my extended social circle shared my love.
2 votes -
Comment on Nintendo Direct for E3 2019 in ~games
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Comment on What are you reading these days? #21 in ~books
Ephemere Link Parent Do you have a favorite Egan novel you'd like to suggest? I think I've only read Permutation City and Quarantine by him, both of which I very much enjoyed. I then tried Zendegi and crashed pretty...Do you have a favorite Egan novel you'd like to suggest? I think I've only read Permutation City and Quarantine by him, both of which I very much enjoyed. I then tried Zendegi and crashed pretty hard on the opening few chapters.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? #21 in ~books
Ephemere Link I've been trying to spend less time on the internet (ironic!) so I've been reading Catch-22. I think I'm feeling less praise for it than other writers have. It is funny, and I get the meta point...I've been trying to spend less time on the internet (ironic!) so I've been reading Catch-22. I think I'm feeling less praise for it than other writers have. It is funny, and I get the meta point it's trying to say with the confused and repetitious narrative, but it is pretty repetitious. I don't know if I've really enjoyed reading it, though I do have a bunch of pithy highlights to show for it.
2 votes -
Comment on Stadia Connect 6.6.2019 - Pricing, Game Reveals, Launch Info & More in ~games
Ephemere Link Assuming this does work on a chromebook and they have periodic sales, this sounds pretty good to a mobile only person like myself. I don't have a gaming PC, xbox or playstation, and it'd be pretty...Assuming this does work on a chromebook and they have periodic sales, this sounds pretty good to a mobile only person like myself. I don't have a gaming PC, xbox or playstation, and it'd be pretty nice to be able to stream discounted games from a few years ago on the hardware I do own.
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Comment on What is your favourite programming language? in ~comp
Ephemere Link Parent I certainly respect that as an opinion, though the code base I work with professionally is fairly large and object oriented. As far as I can tell the only real downside is that you can't have...I certainly respect that as an opinion, though the code base I work with professionally is fairly large and object oriented. As far as I can tell the only real downside is that you can't have private members or data. That said, sometimes dipping into the object you're using has been pretty handy, even as I understand it to be not best practice.
Of course, I don't have a ton of experience with other languages, the largest codebase I'm otherwise familiar with is probably only ~5KLOC or so.
2 votes -
Comment on What is your favourite programming language? in ~comp
Ephemere Link It's fairly unpopular these days, but I prefer perl5 for pretty much all of my home programming needs. This is in part because I've been using it professionally for the last fifteen years, but...It's fairly unpopular these days, but I prefer perl5 for pretty much all of my home programming needs. This is in part because I've been using it professionally for the last fifteen years, but even in that span I haven't really seen terribly much of the 'write only coding' which it's famous for.
I've been taking some halfhearted efforts to switch to python or nodejs in order to stay in the mainstream of languages with available useful modules, but so far it hasn't seemed to be to an extreme benefit. I guess I'll have to switch someday, but so far it's been treating me quite well.
3 votes -
Comment on Donald Trump tells Prince Charles US has 'clean climate'. President blames other countries for environmental crisis, in long talk with prince. in ~news
Ephemere Link Parent I was hoping from the headline that it implied that Mr. Trump at least accepted that there was a crisis, but from the other quotes in the article it seems even that isn't the case. As always,...I was hoping from the headline that it implied that Mr. Trump at least accepted that there was a crisis, but from the other quotes in the article it seems even that isn't the case.
“I believe there’s a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways. Don’t forget, it used to be called global warming, that wasn’t working, then it was called climate change. Now it’s actually called extreme weather, because with extreme weather you can’t miss.”
As always, extremely disappointing.
3 votes -
Comment on YouTube just banned supremacist content, and thousands of channels are about to be removed in ~tech
Ephemere Link Parent I suppose it strongly depends on what you dislike about youtube that makes you hope for a competitor. But indeed, one full exclusively on people youtube decided to ban would probably be pretty rough.I suppose it strongly depends on what you dislike about youtube that makes you hope for a competitor. But indeed, one full exclusively on people youtube decided to ban would probably be pretty rough.
2 votes -
Comment on The Mind-Body Solution: Neal Stephenson’s Fall explores higher consciousness, the internet’s future, and virtual worldbuilding in one mind-blowing adventure. in ~books
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Comment on What is your personal preference and why: vim or emacs? in ~comp
Ephemere Link I'm an emacs user, though I can't really say how I got started with it. I was a senior in high school, and it might have just been what was suggested by a guide I was following, or perhaps it was...I'm an emacs user, though I can't really say how I got started with it. I was a senior in high school, and it might have just been what was suggested by a guide I was following, or perhaps it was featured in a novel I was reading. I was big into Vernor Vinge at the time, and talking up a text editor seems like the kind of thing he might be into.
More contemporarily, I've stayed as I like how I can do file operations / play with a shell via eshell / edit text / track my life via org-mode / send email all with a consistent set of key bindings.
The biggest issue, of course, is that you get used to all of those things, and they're not really usable via the mobile interfaces which come to fill our lives.
3 votes -
Comment on The Mind-Body Solution: Neal Stephenson’s Fall explores higher consciousness, the internet’s future, and virtual worldbuilding in one mind-blowing adventure. in ~books
Ephemere Link I suppose that seems quite promising. I was very much a fan of Stephenson's early works, though I must confess I didn't much care for either the Baroque Cycle books nor of Seveneves. Fingers...I suppose that seems quite promising. I was very much a fan of Stephenson's early works, though I must confess I didn't much care for either the Baroque Cycle books nor of Seveneves. Fingers crossed that this one will return to my taste, at least.
2 votes
I would give the DS game Infinite Space a recommend, insofar that I really enjoyed it with some light cheating to reduce the grind. It’s a space RPG with a large cast of characters and a, to me, highly engaging story.
In any event, if the game is for you it should be pretty clear within the first twenty minutes or so, so not a huge time sink.
If not that, I’ve wanted to play the SNES game Bahamut Lagoon for decades but haven’t seemed to find the time, so you could be my best self and give it a go.