GLaDYS's recent activity
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Comment on Audible mandating authors transition to new royalty system or lose payments in ~books
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Comment on Audible mandating authors transition to new royalty system or lose payments in ~books
GLaDYS Link ParentGood to know that refunds are still possible! Just re-read their refund policy and it's indeed listed as a possible reason for denying a refund if abused, not a hard criteria.Good to know that refunds are still possible! Just re-read their refund policy and it's indeed listed as a possible reason for denying a refund if abused, not a hard criteria.
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Comment on Audible mandating authors transition to new royalty system or lose payments in ~books
GLaDYS Link ParentNope, 100% wetware here. Would have upvoted instead of posting had I loaded the page after the other comments were posted.Nope, 100% wetware here. Would have upvoted instead of posting had I loaded the page after the other comments were posted.
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Comment on Valve raises Steam Deck OLED prices by up to $300 in ~games
GLaDYS Link ParentIndeed, the first iteration of Steam Machine was a huge flop and this one has the software & hardware to theoretically be a success, but not at this price point. I'm afraid that the brand might...Valve would be wise to indefinitely delay the Steam Machine until the AI bubble either collapses or the semiconductor market recovers. That or sell it at a loss like every other console manufacturer and give consumers an incentive to switch to Linux.
Indeed, the first iteration of Steam Machine was a huge flop and this one has the software & hardware to theoretically be a success, but not at this price point. I'm afraid that the brand might not get a third chance if this one flops due to pricing.
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Comment on Valve raises Steam Deck OLED prices by up to $300 in ~games
GLaDYS LinkMy Steam Deck OLED has become my main gaming device (I barely boot up my PS5 anymore) and I played 100+ hours on it, but this new price makes it impossible to recommend anymore. Thankfully, the...My Steam Deck OLED has become my main gaming device (I barely boot up my PS5 anymore) and I played 100+ hours on it, but this new price makes it impossible to recommend anymore. Thankfully, the device being easy to repair and old enough, there's second-hand units available in the 300-400€ price range (although most listings are at completely unreasonable prices).
Other x64 handhelds might keep a better price/performance ratio for a few more months thanks to higher stock levels, but they'll also rise their price eventually. Don't forget who is to blame for this: Sam Altman and who is funding him (oil sellers and techno-fascists).
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Comment on Audible mandating authors transition to new royalty system or lose payments in ~books
GLaDYS (edited )LinkI have been using https://libro.fm/ for a year now and it's satisfactory: You can either use their website/app or download a DRM-free m4b to use offline with your favorite software. (wrong, see...I have been using https://libro.fm/ for a year now and it's satisfactory:
- You can either use their website/app or download a DRM-free
m4bto use offline with your favorite software.By downloading DRM-free you to lose the ability to refund purchases, no great but fair(wrong, see replies) - Synthetic narration / slop must be disclosed, undisclosed slop is a valid refund reason
- Catalogue is expanding, including non-English languages
As for Audible-produced audiobooks, I simply pirate them. Seems like they moved from "platform-exclusive" to "available on other platforms, but at extortionary prices" (and not purchasable with monthly credits). Fuck them.
- You can either use their website/app or download a DRM-free
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Comment on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past announced in ~games
GLaDYS (edited )LinkI finished The Witcher 3 and it's two DLCs, but CDPR is now on my permanent "no-buy list". Sociopathic management abusing workers (crunch + alpha-quality C2077 release blamed on workers) and...I finished The Witcher 3 and it's two DLCs, but CDPR is now on my permanent "no-buy list". Sociopathic management abusing workers (crunch + alpha-quality C2077 release blamed on workers) and refusing to acknowledge the transphobia in the C2077 game and the promo campaign. Nope, not gonna play this one.
Happy that some employees managed to build their own studio with Fool's Theory, I'll check-out their other work.
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Comment on The untold story about W Social: unconventional beginnings, strategic pitches and conflicting signals in ~tech
GLaDYS LinkElena Rossini, who has extensive experience with the Fediverse and the distributed Web has investigated how the company advertises itself to different audiences in contradicting ways, only leaving...Elena Rossini, who has extensive experience with the Fediverse and the distributed Web has investigated how the company advertises itself to different audiences in contradicting ways, only leaving the conclusion that it's a poorly though-out money grab hinging only on "first-mover advantage" and deceptive marketing.
My views about W Social have gone through a full cycle: initial dismissal about their potential (based on the poor quality of their launch website), then a reassessment after analyzing their various strategies… and now I’m back at the beginning, thinking it may have an uncertain future. Why?
The European Union is launching its own official age verification app later this year; micropayments didn’t manage to keep Post.news afloat and for contextual ads to turn a profit, W needs a large user base. Of course, just like We Don’t Have Time, W could carry on for years with private investments.
W Social's beta program will open on June 17th and it will be interesting to see how many people will be willing to give W their government IDs to set up an account - when Eurosky and Bluesky exist, plug into the same network, and do not have such a requirement.
Only time will tell. One thing is certain: open networks are the future of social media and Wedium, Monnett, eYou and Bulle (new European social platforms built on proprietary software) are on much shakier ground. -
The untold story about W Social: unconventional beginnings, strategic pitches and conflicting signals
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Comment on Embracer Group has announced its intention to split into two public companies, with a new spin-off taking over its biggest game IPs, including Tomb Raider in ~games
GLaDYS (edited )Link ParentTwo companies of same size merge, they both claim an (artificial) 2x of their revenue A big company merges with a smaller one, it will barely move the needle A big company splits in two, it's not...- Two companies of same size merge, they both claim an (artificial) 2x of their revenue
- A big company merges with a smaller one, it will barely move the needle
- A big company splits in two, it's not penalized for it's revenue shrinking by half (of course, it's because of the split, duh!)
So it's indeed a viable strategy to split in order to increase the number of companies worth merging with. Under capitalism, everything devolves into either gambling or fraud. One could think that stock markets are gambling, but they actually are fraud.
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Comment on 007 First Light fans are requesting refunds after learning about Denuvo DRM addition ahead of launch in ~games
GLaDYS Link ParentSame, if a game on PC requires either denuvo, a custom launcher or a third-party account, I'm not buying it. I might buy it on console instead, but will request a refund if a third-party account...Same, if a game on PC requires either denuvo, a custom launcher or a third-party account, I'm not buying it.
I might buy it on console instead, but will request a refund if a third-party account requirement is added. Did that for Dragon Age (EA adding account requirement post-release) and got a refund from Sony.
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Comment on How Rockstar Games fit an entire city into PlayStation 2 memory in ~games
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Comment on How Rockstar Games fit an entire city into PlayStation 2 memory in ~games
GLaDYS (edited )LinkAlso published on Nebula, where Mark gets a better payout per view. It's indeed a video about asset streaming, but Mark goes into several specifics and edge cases of the technology that other...Also published on Nebula, where Mark gets a better payout per view.
It's indeed a video about asset streaming, but Mark goes into several specifics and edge cases of the technology that other videos does not cover. As usual, a grounded and interesting analysis.
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Comment on San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at an experimental café in the Swedish capital in ~food
GLaDYS Link ParentThe underpaid labor is the salt on the wound, but the core issue to me is the misrepresentation of the system's capabilities: it is investor fraud but, when the cat is out of the bag, we laugh...The underpaid labor is the salt on the wound, but the core issue to me is the misrepresentation of the system's capabilities:
- it is investor fraud but, when the cat is out of the bag, we laugh about it instead of condemning and prosecuting it as fraud
- it fuels the FOMO about the "post-human" agenda that sociopathic billionaires are pushing
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Comment on San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at an experimental café in the Swedish capital in ~food
GLaDYS Link ParentAndon Labs is selling the "zero-human company" fantasy, and they'll use whatever positive spin they can put on this to sell their vision. So yes, it's important to question whether their "agent"...Andon Labs is selling the "zero-human company" fantasy, and they'll use whatever positive spin they can put on this to sell their vision.
Safety from humans in the loop is a mirage. We prepare for the future where organizations are run autonomously by AI by benchmarking and deploying frontier AI in the real world.
So yes, it's important to question whether their "agent" really "manages" the business without people fixing inventory in the shadows.
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Comment on San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at an experimental café in the Swedish capital in ~food
GLaDYS LinkAfter so many "AI companies" turned out to be a underpaid labor hiding behind the curtain, it's irresponsible for AP to relay the press release without questioning it's veracity.After so many "AI companies" turned out to be a underpaid labor hiding behind the curtain, it's irresponsible for AP to relay the press release without questioning it's veracity.
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Comment on Why so many people are going "no contact" with their parents in ~life
GLaDYS (edited )Link ParentThat is an incredibly shitty thing to write. There's already enough stigma around it, I don't go gallivanting around with a "I cut off my homophobic mother" t-shirt. I get awkward silence when...I think the world would be better if there was stronger social stigma against that.
That is an incredibly shitty thing to write. There's already enough stigma around it, I don't go gallivanting around with a "I cut off my homophobic mother" t-shirt. I get awkward silence when people ask me what I'm getting my parents for the holidays and I tell them I'm NC. I am still working on untangling my self-esteem issues from the childhood emotional neglect and manipulation I grew up under.
Entitled is a bit strong, but yes, you deserve some kind of relationship with your kid when you've raised him for 18 years.
That's the definition of entitlement. You have clearly shown your bias and denied people's lived experiences in this very long thread, I think it's time you move on.
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Comment on Fitness tracker smart watches that work well without a smartphone app? in ~health
GLaDYS (edited )Link ParentI second GadgetBridge. Using it with a Huawei Band 10. The only advertised feature that does not work is sleep phases tracking (algorithm is on the app, not the watch). The rest of the feature...I second GadgetBridge. Using it with a Huawei Band 10. The only advertised feature that does not work is sleep phases tracking (algorithm is on the app, not the watch). The rest of the feature (including sleep time tracking and swimming lap detection) work fine on the device. I use gadgetbridge to sync weather and workout data only (disabled notifications and other stuff, I don't want more distractions).
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Comment on exe.dev, a service for creating Linux virtual machines and vibe-coding in them in ~tech
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
GLaDYS Link ParentAgreed! I also do that, and position the person's face as close as possible to my webcam, to make the eye contact more plausible.Agreed! I also do that, and position the person's face as close as possible to my webcam, to make the eye contact more plausible.
They do, same as IMDB! They bought it for the dataset and left the product in life-support mode, but they might use it to influence the market to their advantage.
https://thestorygraph.com/ is a great replacement: a small Black-owned business, managed by a small team of people who cares.