Hollow's recent activity

  1. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    Hollow
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    I love the beginning and the middle, seeing Bond on the job, making contact with the local support and girl, stealing the lector ("Excuse me is that clock right?" "Russian clocks are always-") and...

    I love the beginning and the middle, seeing Bond on the job, making contact with the local support and girl, stealing the lector ("Excuse me is that clock right?" "Russian clocks are always-") and being trailed and confronted by Red Grant. It's a shame that Kronsteen gets unceremoniously killed off and replaced by a much more stock villain, his introduction and plotting was far more interesting than "lady with shoe knife".

    1 vote
  2. Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk

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    Apple is publicly traded, this topic is looking for privately owned companies.

    Apple is publicly traded, this topic is looking for privately owned companies.

    8 votes
  3. Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk

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    FYI it took me a moment to realise you mean publicly traded companies, not ones that were nationalised and owned by the people.

    I'm increasingly of the opinion that most publicly owned companies either have lower quality services and products or eventually will.

    FYI it took me a moment to realise you mean publicly traded companies, not ones that were nationalised and owned by the people.

    32 votes
  4. Comment on US judge indicates Elon Musk’s fraud lawsuit against OpenAI will head to trial in ~tech

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    Oh good, two of my least favourite people are suing each other. reads So Elon is upset because he thought he was donating to a non-profit only for it to turn into a for-profit tech giant instead....

    Oh good, two of my least favourite people are suing each other.
    reads
    So Elon is upset because he thought he was donating to a non-profit only for it to turn into a for-profit tech giant instead. What's he suing for though? His initial donation? That's "only" $40M. A stake in OpenAI proportionate to his donation, as if it were an investment, at the time he made it?

    12 votes
  5. Comment on "Ai ni, laoji": China's Gen Z is breaking tradition by learning self-love (English) in ~health.mental

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    I agree. But I'm responding to the comment anticipating a "backlash to the backlash", and I imagine 80s individualism is what will be pointed to as a consequence of this mindset.

    I agree. But I'm responding to the comment anticipating a "backlash to the backlash", and I imagine 80s individualism is what will be pointed to as a consequence of this mindset.

    1 vote
  6. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

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    Dr. No had some tropes of its time that would be left behind for the franchise' better, like the cowardly black guy who gets killed to big up the enemy, or the evil mastermind deciding to take the...

    Dr. No had some tropes of its time that would be left behind for the franchise' better, like the cowardly black guy who gets killed to big up the enemy, or the evil mastermind deciding to take the hero's nubile female companion for his men.

    1 vote
  7. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

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    North by Northwest can certainly be called an unofficial Bond movie that set the archetype in many aspects, and it shares a setpiece I know we're both thinking of, but I wouldn't call it the same...

    North by Northwest can certainly be called an unofficial Bond movie that set the archetype in many aspects, and it shares a setpiece I know we're both thinking of, but I wouldn't call it the same movie. Most importantly, NNW stars an everyman who by mistaken identity gets hunted by a powerful criminal gang / spy ring and shenanigans ensue - Bond really is a secret agent, and can better cope with and prepare for the knowledge that people want to kill him because it's the job.

    2 votes
  8. Comment on "Ai ni, laoji": China's Gen Z is breaking tradition by learning self-love (English) in ~health.mental

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    Isn't that going to be when this trend goes too far and becomes, say, US 80s hyper individualistic consumerism?

    I look forward to seeing the "backlash to the backlash to the thing that's just begun

    Isn't that going to be when this trend goes too far and becomes, say, US 80s hyper individualistic consumerism?

    5 votes
  9. Comment on "Ai ni, laoji": China's Gen Z is breaking tradition by learning self-love (English) in ~health.mental

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    (The article's title is "The Buzzword Capturing Chinese Gen Z’s Individualism: In a break with older generations, young Chinese are opting for self-love without first imposing hardships on...

    Picture this: you’ve been working all day, and suddenly you crave a milk tea, a little hit of happiness. Before, this simple desire among young Chinese might have been beaten down by the voices of their parents ringing in their ears, or the weight of societal norms.

    “Too many calories!”
    “You’ve relaxed enough today.”
    “Don’t overindulge yourself.”

    Recently, however, their inner dialogue might be much simpler.
    “Ai ni laoji! Let’s go get one!”
    The expression “ai ni laoji” — “love you, my dear self” — was first uttered near the end of 2025, and has since taken over Chinese social media, earning “GOATed” and “kindest meme of the year” accolades.

    (The article's title is "The Buzzword Capturing Chinese Gen Z’s Individualism: In a break with older generations, young Chinese are opting for self-love without first imposing hardships on themselves." I thought the topic title was snappier)

    18 votes
  10. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    Hollow
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    I think you'll really enjoy that one, I like it a lot and it's a standout Connery Bond movie for me. It's the closest to an actual spy movie that that era gets, with intrigue and plotting.

    I will be enjoying From Russia With Love tonight and the slow marathon continues.

    I think you'll really enjoy that one, I like it a lot and it's a standout Connery Bond movie for me. It's the closest to an actual spy movie that that era gets, with intrigue and plotting.

    1 vote
  11. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

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    I got around to watching Avatar 3 this week, and I found the experience to be very repetitive. I was amazed by how the finale was truly Avatar (2+1). A summary of the plot's similarities to Avatar...

    I got around to watching Avatar 3 this week, and I found the experience to be very repetitive. I was amazed by how the finale was truly Avatar (2+1).

    A summary of the plot's similarities to Avatar 2, including spoilers but by definition they're spoilers you've seen already in the last movie Whales attack the ships (from Avatar 2), then banshees dive bomb the helicopter gunships (from Avatar 1), then Eywa sends in a horde of wildlife (from Avatar 1, again). About the only new factor were the Ash people, and they were just the War Boys from Mad Max without the depth - a generically evil and questionably sane tribe of mooks for the heroes to fight.

    It felt like James Cameron looked at the epic Water Tribe Na'vi fight he had to cut from Avatar 2, and decided to contrive a do-over to fit it in this time, complete with Spider being captured and Quadritch trying to bond with him (again), Ney'teri going nuts and wanting to kill Spider (again), that whale being outcast for killing the whalers (again), or that one lady general who walks around with her hands on hips all the time, putting her hand on her hips (again).

    Overall it felt far less impactful and more bloated than a movie, and more like a miniseries jammed into a single multi-hour marathon. It's certainly not a bad experience, but the very limited time for any scene means that there's a lot of potential that couldn't be explored for all the Sullys that have their own plotlines.

    2 votes
  12. Comment on Debunking the AI food delivery hoax that fooled Reddit in ~tech

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    I won't be so egotistical as to say I totally clocked them immediately, but I was sceptical of the comment when I read it. The sensationalised, dramatic writing put me in mind of a similar...

    I won't be so egotistical as to say I totally clocked them immediately, but I was sceptical of the comment when I read it. The sensationalised, dramatic writing put me in mind of a similar anecdote of someone watching a monetised torture video on the dark web - while instantly assuming that wild stories are too dramatic to be true is a mistake, reality is more often than not banal in its goods and evils. I'm reminded of Dan Olson in his documentary on GME Ape noting that their conspiracist worldview is doubtless more interesting and engaging than the truth of Wall Street simply being filled with greedy assholes. Then again, it's easy to say this in retrospect.

    8 votes
  13. Comment on How do you report an entire topic? in ~tildes

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    OK, and I agree the title's loaded despite being unintentionally so. But the remedy for a bad title is to petition Deimos to change it to something neutral, not for it to be nuked entirely. You're...

    When the thread was initiated, it wasn't just "when has progressivism gone wrong", it was "when has progressivism and wokeism gone wrong".

    I've only ever heard of "wokeism" used in a pejorative manner.

    OK, and I agree the title's loaded despite being unintentionally so. But the remedy for a bad title is to petition Deimos to change it to something neutral, not for it to be nuked entirely. You're just chopping down healthy trees for a firebreak when no fire has actually begun, there.

    7 votes
  14. Comment on How do you report an entire topic? in ~tildes

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    "When has progressivism been implemented badly" is not an inherently disrespectful question, any more than any other socio-political idea can be implemented well or not. It certainly had the...

    "When has progressivism been implemented badly" is not an inherently disrespectful question, any more than any other socio-political idea can be implemented well or not. It certainly had the potential to turn very toxic, but at the time I saw it, the comments were all participating in good faith.

    17 votes
  15. Comment on How Sam Altman is profiting off of AI's problems in ~tech

    Hollow
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Well...yeah. It's a non-profit led by Bernie Sanders' senior policy advisor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Perfect_Union_(media_organization)#Organization_and_leadership

    Oversights like that make it feel like this is a person with a political agenda rather than a journalist reporting on a story.

    Well...yeah. It's a non-profit led by Bernie Sanders' senior policy advisor.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Perfect_Union_(media_organization)#Organization_and_leadership

    12 votes
  16. Comment on Steam Winter Sale 2025: Hidden gems in ~games

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    Underrated Greats (≤500 reviews) Celestial Empire Just about to breach Cult Classic with 493 English-language reviews, Celestial Empire is a city builder based on Ancient China. It has two...

    Underrated Greats (≤500 reviews)

    Celestial Empire

    • Just about to breach Cult Classic with 493 English-language reviews, Celestial Empire is a city builder based on Ancient China. It has two different systems for perks - technology and religion - and different ways in which they interact with the city, religion providing short-range permanent Blessings or temporary, global Miracles, while investment into technology unlocks different boosts for production buildings and new support buildings, such as longer range Blessing shrines. Like Anno, citizen tiers unlocked by increasingly complex production chains, but diplomacy and trade is mandatory to get certain valuable goods that can't be grown domestically. And as a bonus, when you get bored with the God's-Eye view, you can wak around the city as its lord, seeing the streets and decorations from the point of view of the citizens living it. Currently on a 20% discount on Early Access.
      (note: I was a playtester for this game after playing the demo but I didn't really interact with the devs, and when it went to EA I purchased it as a normal player)
    3 votes
  17. Comment on Wells Fargo analysts call plans for all-day Nasdaq trading ‘the worst thing in the world’ in ~finance

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    See that's the important context to apparently agreeable statements I come to Tildes for ;)

    the outsized power institutionalized banks have over retail traders by being allowed to trade outside of regular hours.

    See that's the important context to apparently agreeable statements I come to Tildes for ;)

    7 votes
  18. Comment on Wells Fargo analysts call plans for all-day Nasdaq trading ‘the worst thing in the world’ in ~finance

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    “This is literally the worst thing in the world,” Wells Fargo analysts wrote in a note Tuesday, adding the move “gamifies” the stock market and is the “epitome of making trading even more like gambling.”

    2 votes