HelmetTesterTJ's recent activity
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Comment on What are your favorite custom games? in ~games
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Comment on Test your medical knowledge with daily clinical scenarios in ~health
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentThe top 50% are people who do it in one guess in a new window for no other reason than to have a browser game tell them they're amazing for cheating at a browser game. People cheat at Bloons, of...The top 50% are people who do it in one guess in a new window for no other reason than to have a browser game tell them they're amazing for cheating at a browser game. People cheat at Bloons, of all things. People have one-guess streaks on Wordle. People are weird.
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Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech
HelmetTesterTJ LinkIn my early years of fighting on the internet (2002ish), I gravitated toward Fark.com and SlashDot.com. Both are still alive, and I tend to visit them once I've exhausted my Tildes queue. Fark is...In my early years of fighting on the internet (2002ish), I gravitated toward Fark.com and SlashDot.com. Both are still alive, and I tend to visit them once I've exhausted my Tildes queue.
Fark is a news aggregate site, but with a heavy emphasis on humor. Users submit stories, but they're vetted by moderators before they get posted to the site. It's largely shit-posts and shit-comments about real news and current event. The headlines never match the news article linked (e.g. linking to a news story about Mangione's intended psychiatric defense, the Fark headline is "Luigi, you so crazy", and about a story of a one year-old being killed by police, "Mississippi police are sorry that they murdered a 1-year-old child but you have to understand that the car's driver was a Black person who allegedly committed a minor shoplifting offense". Fark is all about the snark. Its early audience was young, cynical liberaltarians, and, failing to capture new users from reddit, Fark's audience is now old, cynical liberaltarians. It's a fine enough place to hang out.
On the other end of the humor spectrum is SlashDot; those guys are super serious. I find it a little less interesting, but I still open it up for tech takes. The discussion is generally good, if a little tin foilly, about topics like surveillance, encryption, corporate overreach, etc., but the userbase is not very different from Fark. Middle-aged dudes that lean very slightly left and think of themselves as technologically savvy. The user interface is much more modern, but with almost too much end-user control. By default comments are hidden if they don't get a single downvote and no upvotes and collapsed until they get three upvotes. If you visit the site, I recommend toying with the slider in the top right of the comments panel so the conversation is a bit more intelligible.
Ultimately, where both sites especially struggle is their user interfaces. Fark's comments aren't nested AT ALL; they're in chronological order. You can quote people far above you in the thread, but it's very clear the site isn't meant for a back-and-forth. Slashdot's user interface is much more modern, but with almost too much end-user control. By default comments are hidden if they get a single downvote and no upvotes, and collapsed until they get three upvotes. If you visit the site, I recommend toying with the slider in the top right of the comments panel so the conversation is a bit more intelligible.
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Comment on What is your eleventh favorite video game? in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentI put your list in the correct order and Mole Mania came in 11th. I've played seven of the eleven in the last six months. Incidentally I threw Kirby's Dream Course on my Steam Deck last week...I put your list in the correct order and Mole Mania came in 11th.
I've played seven of the eleven in the last six months. Incidentally I threw Kirby's Dream Course on my Steam Deck last week thinking "no way this lives up to the nostalgia," but it did. What a dumb, fun, unforgiving game.
Considering all the '90s on the list, I'm surprised to not see Mario RPG on there, though.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ LinkMy roommate and I finally decided to rent a server for Factorio and start a new map. He's a veteran, and I'm only 200 hours in. Two days in, and he's not hopped on yet because he's busy with Final...My roommate and I finally decided to rent a server for Factorio and start a new map. He's a veteran, and I'm only 200 hours in. Two days in, and he's not hopped on yet because he's busy with Final Fantasy Something, but I've got a big old bus set up and a steady supply of Red, Green, and Grey science. Crude oil has been located, incidentally, not far from where Grey science brought my bus, and I expect to be doing advanced refining by end of day tomorrow, and hopefully be fully on electric furnaces and nuclear power.
So far, I'm not totally loving the server we rented. There's plenty of up time, but the lag seems to hit just as my vehicle is approaching a biter nest or as I'm zooming into my base. It doesn't love when I pick up full belts. Maybe it'll settle down, maybe this is just how multiplayer factorio is.
All in all, though, I'm having a good time.
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Comment on What's a game you're dying to play that doesn't exist? in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentIt sounds almost but not quite like Lemmings, which, come to think of it, could use a modern rework.It sounds almost but not quite like Lemmings, which, come to think of it, could use a modern rework.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentBeautiful, thank you. I'm going to knock out Operation Bounce House, the only other Dinniman my library has, then dive into the Saint of Steel series. I always enjoy... institutionalized (?)...Beautiful, thank you. I'm going to knock out Operation Bounce House, the only other Dinniman my library has, then dive into the Saint of Steel series. I always enjoy... institutionalized (?) magical worlds, like worlds in which the magic has been around long enough to be a mundane given of the society, so magical lawyers sounds right up my alley.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentI see she has a number of series. I just love spending a long time in a world. Do you have a favorite series from her? It doesn't need to be her longest series, just a universe you liked the most....I see she has a number of series. I just love spending a long time in a world. Do you have a favorite series from her? It doesn't need to be her longest series, just a universe you liked the most. I'm genre- and plot-neutral.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
HelmetTesterTJ LinkI'm bouncing back and forth between two authors: Chuck Tingle and Matt Dinniman. With Tingle, I finished Bury Your Gays, followed immediately by Camp Damascus, which are two that have "broader...I'm bouncing back and forth between two authors: Chuck Tingle and Matt Dinniman.
With Tingle, I finished Bury Your Gays, followed immediately by Camp Damascus, which are two that have "broader appeal" than some of his other work (seriously just go and read some titles). I thought both books were fun, quick reads that gave cishet me a better understanding of representation and social pressure. BYG addresses profit motive vs. representation in media, and how "representation" can feel as crappy as non-representation when handled poorly. CD is a horror book about conversion therapy.
I'm a science fiction and fantasy kid, and I'm only now realizing at 41 that I should have been delving into subsections of the horror genre my whole life. So while I'm also fitting in episodes from Tingle's podcast (Pounded In The Butt By My Own Podcast), I'm also listening to Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon from Dinniman. I prefer to not give Audible money, so until they come to Libby, I'm not doing the DCC series.
But my library had this one, and the internet said I'd like it, and stylistically it's proving to not be very different from Tingle (Pargin, too, who I quite like): using absurdity to safely approach topics that require reflection, without coming across as so earnest that it causes the reader to roll their eyes.
It's a genre I like more and more: I call it Sincere Camp, but I think the label New Sincerity is winning out. The irony/cynicism combo is tiring, so I'm finding myself more and more drawn to authors/creators who use irony and absurdism to get super close to a topic rather than using the irony to maintain a detached distance.
Anyhow, really enjoying Dinniman, loving Tingle, and still strongly recommend Pargin. The internet says I should read Scalzi and T. Kingfisher next, so let me know if that tracks.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentThat's definitely my favorite SNES game, and I had basically the same experience when I revisited it on the Steam Deck. "This is going to be so lame; I'm falling victim to nostalgia" ... "Nah,...That's definitely my favorite SNES game, and I had basically the same experience when I revisited it on the Steam Deck. "This is going to be so lame; I'm falling victim to nostalgia" ... "Nah, this game fuckin' rocks."
And I finally had the patience to collect all the Frog Coins needed to buy out the shop run by Frogfucius' student. I crossed the Sky Bridge in Land's End soooo many times for Frog Coins. I definitely didn't have the resolve to accomplish that when I played it in grade school.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentI almost put Factorio. It's definitely currently my most played game. I think about it all the time. But if more characters dropped for Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, I'd forget Factorio exists for a...I almost put Factorio. It's definitely currently my most played game. I think about it all the time.
But if more characters dropped for Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, I'd forget Factorio exists for a few weeks, no question.
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Comment on Amazon shuts down internal AI leaderboard after employees cheated in ~tech
HelmetTesterTJ (edited )Link ParentGoodhart's Law is why Amazon needs to change performance metrics for their associates every six months. They make a metric. Then they tie benefits to that metric, like better pay or better shifts....Goodhart's Law is why Amazon needs to change performance metrics for their associates every six months. They make a metric. Then they tie benefits to that metric, like better pay or better shifts. Then people game those metrics because duh.
Average handle time, negative response rate (👎), positive response rate (👍), PRR minus Repeat Contact rate, delivery success rate, first contact resolution, transfer rate, on and on.
There is no metric that can't be gamed, and the benefits of gaming it are better shifts and better pay. Not gaming the system means working 2 AM - 11 AM with Tuesday and Thursday off.
Sometimes it results in better customer care, but most of the time it means not tying an order ID to a contact ID if the tracking looks ominous, or it means reminding a customer of the email survey on good contacts and burying the survey under a looooong email on the bad ones, or it means subtly getting the customer to ask for a supervisor on bad contacts, or it means initiating a concession abuse investigation and suppressing the survey.
Throw in a 35 to 1 associate to manager ratios, and managers who are graded by the same metrics as the associates, and there's no question that the metrics will be manipulated beyond all recognition.
I am so glad I am out of that world.
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Comment on What are your personal crackpot conspiracy theories about the world right now? in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link Parent35% will believe whatever the administration tells them to believe, 35% will believe the opposite, and 30% will believe whatever they heard in the last five minutes. 🤷♂️35% will believe whatever the administration tells them to believe, 35% will believe the opposite, and 30% will believe whatever they heard in the last five minutes. 🤷♂️
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Comment on What are your personal crackpot conspiracy theories about the world right now? in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentMy tin foil addendum is that they don't have to commit a false flag, because there are nefarious actors out there, but rather they can selectively fail to prevent. They let it happen on purpose.My tin foil addendum is that they don't have to commit a false flag, because there are nefarious actors out there, but rather they can selectively fail to prevent. They let it happen on purpose.
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Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentWe went even one model below that, with the NS-WXC10, and while I'd sometimes like a "I'm done" ding, and a countdown display would be handy, I'm a big proponent of the fewer components = fewer...We went even one model below that, with the NS-WXC10, and while I'd sometimes like a "I'm done" ding, and a countdown display would be handy, I'm a big proponent of the fewer components = fewer breaks philosophy and don't miss not having a display.
Perfect rice. Every time. HD rice, we call it. We use our Zojirushi probably eight times a week. Churns out great porridge, too.
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Comment on I made a word association game - Noun Sense in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ LinkFun! It reminds me of Semantle. Sometimes I get the secret word in 30, sometimes it takes hundreds. It sent me down a whole Word2vec rabbit hole, and I even tried amateurishly incorporating...Fun! It reminds me of Semantle.
How to play?
The objective is to guess the secret word.
Each guess must be a single word. Semantle will inform you how semantically similar your guess is to the secret word.
Unlike other word games, this game is not about spelling; it's about meaning. We calculate this meaning using artificial intelligence (specifically word2vec technology).
In word2vec, each word has a measurable semantic distance from another, indicating their level of relatedness. Once you get within one thousand words of the secret word, we will tell you in the proximity column.Sometimes I get the secret word in 30, sometimes it takes hundreds.
It sent me down a whole Word2vec rabbit hole, and I even tried amateurishly incorporating Word2vec into my work as a language query writer for a customer service department.
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Comment on The secretive company filling video game sites with gambling and AI in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentFor real. Think of the tens of potential targets you might be missing out on in some Tildes threads.For real. Think of the tens of potential targets you might be missing out on in some Tildes threads.
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Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
HelmetTesterTJ LinkI think this counts: I'm grateful we got one more season of Twin Peaks 25 years after the original aired, and I thought they did an amazing job. What the original two seasons were to '80s soap...I think this counts:
I'm grateful we got one more season of Twin Peaks 25 years after the original aired, and I thought they did an amazing job. What the original two seasons were to '80s soap operas, lampooning them while also quintessifying them in beautiful, sincere camp, the third season was to prestige television.
I got to see the last two episodes of season 3 at a theater a few weeks ago. They were doing the whole season over the course of a week. Pure. Fucking. Cinema.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ LinkMewgenics: I'm a fan, but it's a brutal game. I just had all my best veterans wiped out by Guillotina in a fight I wasn't prepared for. I'm playing without looking up any strategy threads or...Mewgenics: I'm a fan, but it's a brutal game. I just had all my best veterans wiped out by Guillotina in a fight I wasn't prepared for. I'm playing without looking up any strategy threads or information on the wiki; I'm sort of tired of ruining the exploration aspect of games by having all the information front and center all the time. It definitely adds to the difficulty, though. What a wild departure from Binding, though. I really appreciate the breeding/cat stable aspect of the game, rather than having a set of characters to choose from. It's adding a level of individuality to save files that I think a lot of roguelites are missing.
Melvor Idle: I decided to get back into it after a long break, starting an Ancient Relics mode. This is by far my favorite mode in the game - I can barely bother to look at my Hardcore file, and I don't even open my Standard file. Ancient Relics is just that much more of a puzzle with some tough RNG. For example, right now, I've had some really tough skill cap choices to make, so my Runecrafting is well below where it should be, as is my Mining, so I'm problem solving how to overcome the Golem Territory dungeon without the right robes, ultimately landing on melee, but needing to do Cartography waaaaaaay out of ideal order so I can get some mithril ore so I can pump out a bunch of mithril battleaxes so I can pump out a reasonable number of minotaur summoning tablets so I can stand a chance in the barrier dungeons. I just love this stupid game so much.
Rocket League: Got my champ matches complete for end of season rewards. I've been going back and forth between Snow Day and Rumble. I find myself having less and less patient with the player base, so I tend to only play two games at a time before I turn it off and switch to something less horrible.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
HelmetTesterTJ LinkMy rice porridge adventure continues. @Akir got me thinking about curry at the Asian grocery store a few weeks ago, and I scooped up Patak's madras curry spice paste (excellent in porridge, and a...My rice porridge adventure continues.
@Akir got me thinking about curry at the Asian grocery store a few weeks ago, and I scooped up Patak's madras curry spice paste (excellent in porridge, and a little goes a long way), as well as the Japanese curry block brands Vermont and Golden. Golden is definitely more widely available 'round these parts, but I prefer Vermont. With Golden, the cumin is overpowering, whereas the with Vermont, the flavor is a bit more complex.
I've also been toying with sweet porridges. My favorite so far is crunchy peanut butter and soy sauce.
Team Fortress 2 and Counterstrike: Source Surf servers and maps. I spent countless hours playing custom maps. Servers tinker with the setting so when you're on an angle, you slide forward. Map makers make courses using these angles surfaces, propelling you to faster and faster speeds.
Some maps are built for time trials, some for skill, some for combat, many a combination of all three. My favorite was a combat map, surf_japan, but I spent hundreds of hours on surf servers doing random map rotations.