HelpfulOption's recent activity
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Comment on I have an issue with the 3 Body Problem in ~tv
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Comment on I have an issue with the 3 Body Problem in ~tv
HelpfulOption Link ParentYes, it was explained. I can give the most broad answer without spoiling any huge plot point. But it's a small spoiler that explains things from their perspective. Spoiler for the novel series The...Yes, it was explained. I can give the most broad answer without spoiling any huge plot point. But it's a small spoiler that explains things from their perspective.
Spoiler for the novel series
The San Ti have monitoring stations and people monitoring for signals, similarly to Earth. The original transmission was picked up, but with no way to pinpoint the exact position. It would be from some window of the sky, but from any number of stars.By receiving a second transmission while monitoring the general area, they could pinpoint the source and find Sol.
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Comment on I have an issue with the 3 Body Problem in ~tv
HelpfulOption LinkAnother aspect of this, is that an "AI" still has a foundation in the intelligence of the creator. The minds that created it work far differently than ours, and the AI produced may be closer to...Another aspect of this, is that an "AI" still has a foundation in the intelligence of the creator. The minds that created it work far differently than ours, and the AI produced may be closer to their experience.
So maybe it had no "desire" to subjugate all systems, because the goal was to keep the hearth warm without exposing the truth. More extreme but highly individual solutions were also used, but the exact method was not verifiable outside of a single observer. There may be other criteria for why some progress was halted via experiments versus direct action, which they know from their own advancements.
If the AI did have the desire and capability to spread and control everything, what would stop it from turning on its creators?
For reference, trying to keep out direct spoilers. I read the series a few years ago and finished the show.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically (round 2) in ~games
HelpfulOption Link ParentWhat about Penny's Big Breakaway? It's more of a platformer but definitely has some kinetic beat-em-up influence (and boss fights).What about Penny's Big Breakaway? It's more of a platformer but definitely has some kinetic beat-em-up influence (and boss fights).
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption (edited )Link ParentYes, I am not talking about changing the entire Spanish language. Just discussing the conversion into an English word, and purely as a hypothetical to challenge the "why" aspect. Would Latin men...Changing one word doesn't help, unless the person using that word only means to use it in English.
Yes, I am not talking about changing the entire Spanish language. Just discussing the conversion into an English word, and purely as a hypothetical to challenge the "why" aspect. Would Latin men be averse to being described (in English) as Latina? If so, is the non-grammatical gender in Spanish transferred to English? Why?
Male is default, but not because misogyny.
Again, I was talking about the use in English.
I don't know the linguistic history of Spanish. I do think that using the masculine form of a word as the "default" reinforces patriarchal concepts. Whether that effect is larger or smaller for Spanish vs English is hard to quantify.
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Comment on Why is the discourse on Tildes so much nicer than most places on the internet? in ~tildes
HelpfulOption LinkAll of the responses so far were great. But I'm pretty sure the real answer is that Tildes is Canadian (this is a joke, but I do know many polite Canadians).All of the responses so far were great. But I'm pretty sure the real answer is that Tildes is Canadian (this is a joke, but I do know many polite Canadians).
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption (edited )Link ParentHere's a link to a discussion about what I'm referring to with using "she" as the default, universal singular, instead of "he." There was definitely a movement towards the feminine, especially in...Here's a link to a discussion about what I'm referring to with using "she" as the default, universal singular, instead of "he." There was definitely a movement towards the feminine, especially in academic writing, most likely as a course-correction for the seemingly patriarchal nature of defaulting to "he."
Edit: and if using Latina implies he is feminine, then there is more to the grammatical gender than purely form. The response I received suggested grammatical gender was misinterpreted as gendered language, yet you're saying that it's correctly interpreted to be masculine and feminine.
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption (edited )Link ParentI'm actually on my own journey of gender, probably most aligned as nonbinary but still comfortable with he/him and they equally. I definitely understand the desire to push back against traditional...I'm actually on my own journey of gender, probably most aligned as nonbinary but still comfortable with he/him and they equally. I definitely understand the desire to push back against traditional assumptions of masculinity (and femininity), but prescriptive language changes without a basis in colloquial/shared usage seem like a recipe for contention.
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption Link ParentNo confusion, just following the linguistic pattern adopted with English pronouns. From using "he" to "she" as an indefinite pronoun, why not go from "Latino" to "Latina" as a default universal...No confusion, just following the linguistic pattern adopted with English pronouns. From using "he" to "she" as an indefinite pronoun, why not go from "Latino" to "Latina" as a default universal descriptor. English has no grammatical gender rule, inventing "Latinx" is still an odd choice to me.
If the grammatical gender has no gendered masculine or feminine connotation, why wouldn't all Latin men be content with described as "Latina" in English, derived from "persona latina?"
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption Link ParentDon't worry, you didn't come across rude to me at all. Just using "Latin" is probably the most clear, you're right. It might not have caught on because of the overlap with scientific naming and...Don't worry, you didn't come across rude to me at all.
Just using "Latin" is probably the most clear, you're right. It might not have caught on because of the overlap with scientific naming and the dead language, or maybe because it was seen as too narrow in referring to the Americas vs Portugal/Spain.
Hispanic is also pretty neutral, but the bigoted (truncated) usage may have contributed to a fall in popularity. I'll personally probably stick with Latin when needing a global word.
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption Link ParentThanks, it was a genuine question although reading it back I'm not sure that came across. I grew up learning Spanish in school and do know about grammatical usage somewhat. Some of the nuance I...Thanks, it was a genuine question although reading it back I'm not sure that came across.
I grew up learning Spanish in school and do know about grammatical usage somewhat. Some of the nuance I was curious around was that very case, e.g. if someone was described with "latina."
It reminds me of the English tumult of using "he" as the default genderless pronoun, where some authors switched to "she" as the default and others opted for he/she or (s)he, and now "they" becoming increasingly common.
I also wonder why the anglicized version didn't become "latina" by default. Latinx always seemed clunky.
Unfortunately, English tends to absorb and butcher source words. Living in Texas, I still can't help but shake my head at the widespread usage of "tomale" for a single tomal.
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Comment on American politics is undergoing a racial realignment – Democrats are rapidly losing non-white voters as the forces that ensured their support weaken in ~misc
HelpfulOption Link ParentCan you share the correct understanding of what grammatical gender is doing in a word? And more specifically, what does it do in a word meant to describe a person?Can you share the correct understanding of what grammatical gender is doing in a word? And more specifically, what does it do in a word meant to describe a person?
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Comment on What are the best websites/programs for creating mood boards / image collages / 'visual lists'? in ~tech
HelpfulOption (edited )LinkWhat about this site? It's been posted around tildes a few times and might fit your needs: https://paper.mmm.dev/ It may not do all of the image cropping/layout you want. But you can build a page...What about this site? It's been posted around tildes a few times and might fit your needs: https://paper.mmm.dev/
It may not do all of the image cropping/layout you want. But you can build a page of content pretty quickly and easily.
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Comment on My marriage is non-monogamous, and I am considering approaching a friend to propose a relationship with him. I would appreciate some advice from monogamous people (and reasonable people in general.) in ~life
HelpfulOption Link ParentI am married, our relationship has been open since we started dating. We went through a period of poly dating, and probably would both agree we're still poly, but currently functionally...I am married, our relationship has been open since we started dating. We went through a period of poly dating, and probably would both agree we're still poly, but currently functionally monogamous.
While we were actively seeing others, I dated someone who hadn't considered ENM but was willing to try with me. I had lots of conversations with her beforehand, she met my spouse fairly quickly, and she seemed to understand and say the right things when discussing.
Ultimately, it did not work out. I also needed to stop dating for life event reasons, and probably should have ended it sooner. But after a few months it became clear that her mindset and actions were not fitting with where I was. I had read the warnings about dating non-poly people but let her decide, when she probably couldn't ever really grasp what she was agreeing to.
I cannot recommend trying to date someone who isn't already actively looking for a poly relationship. A casual, friends with benefits type relationship seems slightly less risky with lower expectations, but those have their own pitfalls even without the poly aspect in the mix.
You seem like you really know what you want and have no problem communicating. There's a chance he would fit well into a poly relationship, but it requires a ton of honesty and self-reflection, which can be obscured by other feelings.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
HelpfulOption Link ParentThis sounds like a really neat project! There's still an active niche of MUD players and developers, and in my experience especially so in the Blind and Visually Impaired community. If your web...This sounds like a really neat project!
There's still an active niche of MUD players and developers, and in my experience especially so in the Blind and Visually Impaired community. If your web components implement aria tags, or if someone can build a game entirely with CLI, you might find an audience with some passionate, game-starved devs and players.
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Comment on What music/instruments have you been making/playing recently? in ~music
HelpfulOption (edited )LinkFor those with a medium-powerful to very-powerful PC (or Steam Deck) and an interest in synthesizers/vocoders. I built a weird, digital granular synth that runs on Windows and Linux: Link to...For those with a medium-powerful to very-powerful PC (or Steam Deck) and an interest in synthesizers/vocoders. I built a weird, digital granular synth that runs on Windows and Linux: Link to Synulator on itch.io
It generates independent waves for each "grain," with as many parameters as I could include. Lowering the grain count is easier on computer resources, cranking it to 1024 grains is only stable for really powerful rigs.
You only need 6-24 grains to replicate synth-y tones. Increasing the time between each grain turns it into an arpeggiator. Decreasing the time overlaps grains and changes how the tones constructively interfere.
I don't have a ton of places to share, but maybe some music makers here will be interested. There are also a few free VSTs and other neat synth projects submitted, many that run in a browser!
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
HelpfulOption LinkI'm at the end of a game jam for synthesizers, and I finally hit a reasonable performance and feature set. It uses granular synthesis to control up to 1024 independent waves. Link to itch.io...I'm at the end of a game jam for synthesizers, and I finally hit a reasonable performance and feature set. It uses granular synthesis to control up to 1024 independent waves.
I'm working on two more big features, then spending any time I have to add more options and finishing touches. UI work and a month jam is exhausting, but it's really starting to come together.
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Comment on Dynamic music and sound techniques for video games in ~games
HelpfulOption (edited )Link ParentYou can be the judge! There's a sample video with subtitles at the top, or you can download it for Windows: Link to itch.io cloudskippin game page It definitely met my personal goals, I do wish I...You can be the judge! There's a sample video with subtitles at the top, or you can download it for Windows: Link to itch.io cloudskippin game page
It definitely met my personal goals, I do wish I had the time for proper "infinite" cloud generation. Performance issues and poor planning led to me to limit the clouds generated for gameplay and set up a limited loop for the menu.
It was a Blind and Visually Impaired [accessible] game jam, and I wanted something relaxing and potentially infinite. There were lots of great entries to check out, audiogames are kind of niche but can make for really interesting gameplay.
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Comment on Game recommendations, specifically in ~games
HelpfulOption Link ParentDefinitely. There's a long history of LAN parties and glitch hunting in Halo games. Whenever something has fun movement and physics, there's usually some room to exploit it.Definitely. There's a long history of LAN parties and glitch hunting in Halo games. Whenever something has fun movement and physics, there's usually some room to exploit it.
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Comment on Dynamic music and sound techniques for video games in ~games
HelpfulOption LinkI'm always excited to see the sound design details people include in their games. The little details, like adding randomization and panning, make a game feel so much more polished. I worked on a...I'm always excited to see the sound design details people include in their games. The little details, like adding randomization and panning, make a game feel so much more polished.
I worked on a game jam prototype experimenting with procedural levels built from a MIDI song. Mainly it was an excuse to figure out dynamic song playback, accessible menu UI, composition-based levels, and 3D shaders.
The song playback steps forward or backwards based on the player's X position in space. As the player climbs higher, the idea was to mix in more instruments, change voices used, and eventually transition into the next song on the album.
I composed and recorded the menu music, which I also used as the only prototype level. I like the idea of a composer thinking in both musical and game design terms, to create looping compositions with interesting generated results for gameplay.
The easiest explanation for that is that they know of the concept of withholding information, e.g. a "healthy fear" of others. They didn't expect or initially understand the concept where communication is not complete and absolute when it occurs, e.g. metaphor (indirect meaning), and deception (communicating falsehoods).