Grzmot's recent activity
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Comment on AI fails at 96% of jobs (new study) in ~tech
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Comment on The hidden cost of AI art: Brandon Sanderson's keynote in ~tech
Grzmot Link ParentI'd like to take a step back from this discussion to appreciate you changing your response before we both just ended up shouting at an internet stranger in the most unhelpful way. I do agree that...I'd like to take a step back from this discussion to appreciate you changing your response before we both just ended up shouting at an internet stranger in the most unhelpful way.
I do agree that I come across as snobbish, because I didn't mention that your enjoyment of something without intent, like say a beautiful vista in nature, isn't any less meaningful. I'm sorry.
We just have different opinions on the matter and that's fine.
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Comment on The hidden cost of AI art: Brandon Sanderson's keynote in ~tech
Grzmot Link ParentI don't think that anything without an author is pornography, I was much more equating anything that is meant to be purely consumed as a product with pornography. AI is only so far useful that it...I don't think that anything without an author is pornography, I was much more equating anything that is meant to be purely consumed as a product with pornography. AI is only so far useful that it skips the painful process of writing a story and revising and editing it until it is good. The people who are salivating most about the use of AI when it comes to creation are the ones who produce purely "content" to get rich with.
It's true that the meaning you derive from a story of mine can be different than the meaning I derive from it. But it's also true that most art gets something put inside by the artist, and it is with that meaning you connect with, or that meaning you interpret through a different lens. Art is about empathizing with other humans. When you read a story about someone going through something and then go "Hey, someone else went through something similar, in a different city, of a different race, and the circumstances were different but the emotions remained the same!"
When you read something of me and say "this reminds me of X!" there's a solid chance you're telling me something new. When I published my first short story here someone told me the vibe reminded them of Studio Ghibli. This was news to me, but immediately clicked and made sense in my head. I never intended it, but it ended up in there all the same. We create not just out of a need to create, but also out of a sense of discovery within ourselves. AI skips that part completely. Over time, it destroys it.
The productification of art isn't something new that happened with AI, but everyone profitting off it is trying very hard to make it happen because profit, and because we can make the digital heroin that are recommendation algorithms even more tailored, even better, keep everyone glued to scrolling reels/shorts/tiktoks even more. Flood the internet with pointless content.
A sapient author does have the monopoly on meaning in art, because it is that meaning that people pull from said art and work with, even if that meaning didn't end up there intentionally. Death of the author is not about literally having no author, it's about respecting the art above the word of the author even against their wishes. It requires meaning to be there. Death of the author is when people call Harry Potter an anti-feminist work because of its depiction of women, despite the author understanding herself as a feminist and arguing strongly against that point. But you have to disregard that argument and look at what's in the work itself. That's death of the author.
That you derive enjoyment, even meaning from a beautiful vista in nature is irrelevant to the point, because said vista isn't art, no matter how beautiful it is. No one put it there. Just like with AI content, no one put it there either.
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Comment on The hidden cost of AI art: Brandon Sanderson's keynote in ~tech
Grzmot Link ParentThis works as long as your enjoyment of said art remains surface level. Art is different things to different people, obviously, and art as a product has existed for a long time. Think Call of Duty...This works as long as your enjoyment of said art remains surface level. Art is different things to different people, obviously, and art as a product has existed for a long time. Think Call of Duty or your run-of-the-mill thriller that some author produces every year like clockwork. I think these are endangered the most, because as a product their value is defined by the profit they generate. They are created to be consumed and not thought about much.
Ultimately, large corporations will want to use AI to cut out the author entirely and out-produce humans completely. As a human, that is bad, because it adds even more power to already large and powerful corporations.
As a reader, I want to engage with a book deeply, and it was reading such books that led me to write myself. But AI cannot do that, because AI writing cannot have a meaning, a point, barely a subtext. It's pornography. It exists to satisfy an urge. As a reader, I also want more of such books coming out, not less. AI writing will cut that pipeline off.
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Comment on The hidden cost of AI art: Brandon Sanderson's keynote in ~tech
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Comment on I tried making homemade Whoppers | Claire Recreates in ~food
Grzmot Link ParentI know that immediately after the desaster that sent the old crew all over to other places, they replaced the chief editors of the magazine with a very diverse trio in an effort to combat the...I know that immediately after the desaster that sent the old crew all over to other places, they replaced the chief editors of the magazine with a very diverse trio in an effort to combat the allegations. I saw their introduction video, and that was the last that I saw of Bon Appetit.
I think they exist for sure, and occasionally I saw the Yt algorithm float me a video with one of the hosts that stayed, but I think the brand just tanked. The crowd that they were popular with doesn't take kindly to the exploitation that the magazine was committing against its employees.
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Comment on Everything added to Star Wars Outlaws since launch – your complete guide to the game's post-launch evolution in ~games
Grzmot Link ParentThat's true for all open-world Ubisoft games. You need to really like the environment and existing in it for the games to have any draw. AFAIK, the Star Wars game has a pretty good atmosphere and...The biggest complaint was that while that's all true, there wasn't much compelling me to continue playing.
That's true for all open-world Ubisoft games. You need to really like the environment and existing in it for the games to have any draw. AFAIK, the Star Wars game has a pretty good atmosphere and people like that about it, but don't ever expect Ubisoft to do anything revolutionary.
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Comment on Everything added to Star Wars Outlaws since launch – your complete guide to the game's post-launch evolution in ~games
Grzmot LinkI've seen this article and video posted around to such a degree I genuinely thought the reddit thread full of positive comments was some AI astroturf operation to get sales up. Then again, ubi...I've seen this article and video posted around to such a degree I genuinely thought the reddit thread full of positive comments was some AI astroturf operation to get sales up.
Then again, ubi games always have a long tail.
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Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games
Grzmot Link ParentGetting people into Linux is wishful thinking. The overwhelming majority of people want their shit to just work. But if the base is broader, if money is to be made there, then all Linux users...They have the option to change that stuff, but most won't. So you'll have this awkward sect of "Steam Deck Linux users" inbetween that don't really engage with "Linux".
Getting people into Linux is wishful thinking. The overwhelming majority of people want their shit to just work. But if the base is broader, if money is to be made there, then all Linux users profit.
I understand the fear of exchanging on whip-cracking corporation for another, but you simply need to boost adoption if you want game devs to give a shit about Linux at all.
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Comment on I let my wife have an affair. Do I have to console her now that it’s over? in ~life
Grzmot Link ParentThe person who asked this question was obviously hurt in this whole ordeal, but doesn't seem to realize it. I think that's where their feeling of it not being their problem comes from. They agreed...The person who asked this question was obviously hurt in this whole ordeal, but doesn't seem to realize it. I think that's where their feeling of it not being their problem comes from. They agreed not because they were ok with it, but because they thought it was better than sharing who they actually felt about the ordeal.
Call it sunk cost fallacy or whatever, but it seems like a communication mistake was made at the start, and then the questioner did what a lot of humans do: stuck to their guns while everything got worse.
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Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games
Grzmot Link ParentBut that's the catch-22 I was alluding to. You need to get people onto Linux first. And people are not gonna get on Linux if "all their games only run on Windows". We're getting as close as we can...But that's my issue. People aren't spending money on Linux, they are spending money on WINE.
But that's the catch-22 I was alluding to. You need to get people onto Linux first. And people are not gonna get on Linux if "all their games only run on Windows". We're getting as close as we can now in the consumer space with the most important app being the browser and that running flawlessly on all operating systems.
Right now, developers are not giving a shit about running well on Proton, unless they're targeting the hand-held market and thus Steam Deck with a significant margin, and soon that Lenovo device that's meant to run Steam OS. Outside of Valve investing manpower, no one's doing much; adoption is still too low.
Everyone having Proton on mind when they develop games for Windows is the prerequisite to some developers offering a Linux native version, but for that consumer adoption has to be in the double digits at least. Until then, Proton is the best thing we got, and I'm damn happy we do, especially with the shitshow that is Windows 11.
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Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games
Grzmot Link ParentThat, plus there being some ideological drawbacks on some of the distros. For example, I would easily recommend Fedora with Gnome to a normal user today. But crucially, it doesn't come with nvidia...That, plus there being some ideological drawbacks on some of the distros. For example, I would easily recommend Fedora with Gnome to a normal user today. But crucially, it doesn't come with nvidia gpu drivers nor the HEVC video codec because both are propriatary. Both require pasting commands into the command line.
The HEVC codec is especially tricky because video plays, but you get audio only. There is no error message no nothing that tells you that you're missing a codec. At least Windows tells you and then also tries to sell you the codec for 99 cents, at which point you just download VLC lol.
There are distros that are better at this, in particular Mint and Bazzite get thrown around a lot now, but recently a friend of mine was running Mint until from one day to the other it uninstalled the GPU drivers and borked the system all by itself, making her switch to Fedora. These are rare issues, and similar horror stories exist, but the crux of the problem is that Linux is just not a normal user friendly OS. However, Windows nowadays sports so many different UX/UI styles that it's basically on the same level.
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Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games
Grzmot Link ParentWine/Proton is the first step to full independence from Windows in the consumer space, though. We cannot force an entire, massive industry to just start supporting Linux. We need to make it either...Wine/Proton is the first step to full independence from Windows in the consumer space, though. We cannot force an entire, massive industry to just start supporting Linux. We need to make it either profitable to support Linux, or unprofitable to support Windows. You do the former by having a significant amount of people playing games and spending money on games in Linux. More money than it costs to pay developers to support said games on Linux. You do the latter by having fewer people doing the same on Windows.
We are getting there. The fact that there are games out there right now that run comparably, sometimes better through Proton on Linux than natively on Windows tells you what an unoptimized mess Windows is. But that switch is never going to happen unless people are incentivized to switch. Linux is really good nowadays, but most distros still need a modest amount of tinkering. Said tinkering doesn't require an engineering degree and mostly just looking things up on the internet and following easy guides, but that is still too much for the average user.
I do believe that Microsoft is making things a lot easier by continously making Windows complete dogshit. But Linux is not at the it just works stage yet. It's also not at the stage where pre-builts with Linux installed are easy to buy. Microsoft is doing it's best though at breaking that really gnarly catch-22 of "no users" -> "no games" -> "no users" which is honestly astonishing, but their CEO is completely AI-brained right now, so it's not surprising, plus gaming historically has always been an afterthought for them.
The only sad thing about this story is that it took Gabe Newell and Valve taking the really long con and betting on Linux. Apparently this was a reaction Microsoft considering killing all other game delivery systems on Windows other than the Microsoft Store, but it could also just be that Newell runs Linux personally and tasked his developers with making games good on Linux.
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Comment on Far Cry 5 | When gameplay and story fundamentally oppose each other in ~games
Grzmot Link ParentIt's because Bioshock Infinite is a much more competently made game not watered down by Ubislop's corporate interests of appealing to the widest market possible. Of course the publisher 2K is just...I agree that by chance I ended up making the better choice. There is just so much to discuss with Infinite. I remember during that playthrough taking notes of every scripture referenced and then doing a comparison of where they are referencing the most (if I recall correctly, there is limited references to the Gospels and lots of Old Testament references, but this was also a bit over six years ago when I wrote that paper). Infinite has such a robust baptism theology (and one that is orthodox), and all the major story beats are linked to a baptism.
It's because Bioshock Infinite is a much more competently made game not watered down by Ubislop's corporate interests of appealing to the widest market possible. Of course the publisher 2K is just as much a corporation, but it's obvious that they were hands off about the writing process and what the game means.
The only message that FC5 has is the one that slipped through on accident while they were busy not trying to offend anyone. The implicit libertarian one I made the whole video about.
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Comment on What are your favorite home remedies or comforts when you're sick? in ~health
Grzmot Link ParentA common "people's remedy" with a sore throat is to gurgle (is that the english word?) alcohol and then spit it out. Alcohol kills, so it's effective at clearing your throat of germs. But it's not...A common "people's remedy" with a sore throat is to gurgle (is that the english word?) alcohol and then spit it out. Alcohol kills, so it's effective at clearing your throat of germs. But it's not very pleasant.
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Comment on Far Cry 5 | When gameplay and story fundamentally oppose each other in ~games
Grzmot (edited )Link ParentYou lucked out immensely by picking Bioshock Infinite over Far Cry 5. FC5 is honestly just not that interesting to explore from a theological perspective. Sure, the villains are Christian...You lucked out immensely by picking Bioshock Infinite over Far Cry 5. FC5 is honestly just not that interesting to explore from a theological perspective. Sure, the villains are Christian nationalists, which are very in right now in the USA, but the corporate climate inside Ubisoft watered their depiction down so hard, they barely make sense. One of the notable songs composed by the cult is literally about how the world is gonna end and you're gonna need your gun and don't let the government take away your guns, and conversely one of the lines of the main antagonist in the game in the ending is "When are you going to realize that not every problem can be solved with a bullet?"
It's a travesty of a narrative, but the game (and tbh, it seems like Far Cry 6 as well), are much more interesting to view through a lens of critiquing libertarianism, because that is what those games promote. FC5 punches you in the face again and again and again about how you just shouldn't intervene. That's where the real meat in the narrative is, and that's what needs to get deconstructed.
The guns probably got slimmed down in an effort to simplify the game, and I didn't mind the selection that was given. They're there to support different playstyles, but they are not interesting on their own. Which goes for nearly every aspect of FC5. What makes the gameplay interesting to me is that the open world is a genuine playground for you.
If you view it from the region being fully complete the resistance points can be poorly weighted, but from a timing perspective, it makes way more sense. They're clearly balanced with the overall progression in mind rather than neatly clearing out nearly everything in a region.
I never encountered a single NPC saying that Faith was not the first, it was always a reveal in Joseph's post-boss reaction, but I believe you that there were lines in the game and some sort of telegraphing. But it fits with my overall impression that out of the 3 areas, John's received the most attention, then Jacob's and then Faith's. Her area just seemed very rushed.
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Comment on Cory Doctorow | AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage. in ~tech
Grzmot Link ParentThis is already happening in younger generations though, and was only accelerated when boomers pulled up the ladder behind them after achieving the "American Dream". Housing affordability is...If we're going to have even the slightest hope of building support for evidence-based work reform, the first barrier to cross is breaking the idea that "40 hour per week job == good, contributing, beneficial" and "any other arrangement == bad, lazy, burdensome".
This is already happening in younger generations though, and was only accelerated when boomers pulled up the ladder behind them after achieving the "American Dream". Housing affordability is fucked and has remained fucked for decades, and this has directly influenced how people think about having a job and why exactly they should work so much if they can't build anything of their own by investing their limited lifetime into some corporation.
Of course, this also lead to other worrying trends, especially a rise in consumerism and collecting things founded on social media fads becoming faster and faster and faster. Be it Stanley cups or Legumi pens; a lot of people no longer have long-term financial goals, which directly leads to them spending all the available cash they have on "useless stuff".
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Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv
Grzmot Link ParentI hope that in the next season they break someone out of it successfully so that we can actually get an account of what it's like to be inside the hivemind. Since they all work towards a...I hope that in the next season they break someone out of it successfully so that we can actually get an account of what it's like to be inside the hivemind. Since they all work towards a particular goal, it would also be interesting to see what their longterm thinking is, plus what happens when their goal is achieved.
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Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv
Grzmot Link ParentThe LLM idea was something that the showrunner was asked about in an interview and shot down, but acknowledged that it's unlikely that anyone will believe it given how perfect it is. The pilot was...The LLM idea was something that the showrunner was asked about in an interview and shot down, but acknowledged that it's unlikely that anyone will believe it given how perfect it is. The pilot was written before LLMs were a big thing (I miss that time).
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Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv
Grzmot Link ParentI doubt it will go this way, unless successfully spreading the virus unlocks some new stage that causes destruction. I think it would be anti-thetical to the show though and cheapen the premise if...It would be interesting to see what the pluribus does once it is done building the big antennae... does it just kill off all the humans?
I doubt it will go this way, unless successfully spreading the virus unlocks some new stage that causes destruction. I think it would be anti-thetical to the show though and cheapen the premise if the others become evil by achieving their goal. How would they even know? The signal they received travelled for 600 lightyears. Given that anyone affected cannot harm living things under any circumstance including plants, there's a solid chance that no one is around anymore on that originating planet due to everyone having starved.
This is smart writing that mirrors how viruses work in reality. Their main purpose is to spread, and this trumps their ability to harm. This is why, as diseases spread, they tend to become less harmful rather than more, because killing your host before they can spread you to other creatures is not how you succeed in evolution. I doubt they will discover some kill switch. Rather most people will die building the antenna and then presumably all of earth's resources will be dedicated to aligning it with planets we believe are most probable to have intelligent life, which will cause even more people to die until we reach some critical point the amount of people on the planet is so small that even with their pluribus hivemind, their individuality will return, or presumably, Carol and Menousos will figure out how to break individuals out of the hivemind first.
The industry is banking on LLMs having advanced enough to replace seniors by the time the current generation retires. That's the bet the stock market is making right now. I doubt it'll pay off, and I agree that it's bad, because once you interrupt the knowledge flow from the older generation to the younger just once, it becomes a big hurdle that didn't need to be there.