JCPhoenix's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
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Comment on Reddit will require you to be logged in to use old.reddit.com in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentThat'd be pretty surprising, actually. Reddit's main way of getting people is by allowing people to peruse and lurk the site, then make an account. I know account creation on reddit is super easy,...That'd be pretty surprising, actually. Reddit's main way of getting people is by allowing people to peruse and lurk the site, then make an account. I know account creation on reddit is super easy, in that you don't even need to make your own username anymore (can do it later), while also not needing to provide an email address, but that's still friction. I imagine most visitors don't know that it's that easy to get an account.
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Comment on US Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, ruling against Donald Trump's order in ~society
JCPhoenix LinkI mentioned in the weekly politics thread that this should've been 9-0 for a supposed bunch of "Textualists." I don't know how the plain words could be interpreted in another way. And if they were...I mentioned in the weekly politics thread that this should've been 9-0 for a supposed bunch of "Textualists." I don't know how the plain words could be interpreted in another way.
And if they were really "Textualists," they wouldn't be doing any interpreting! As usual, hiding behind a thin veneer of "principles" that's masking their true ideology.
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Comment on US Supreme Court lets states block trans athletes from women’s and girls’ sports in ~lgbt
JCPhoenix Link ParentIt's kinda up to you. I personally upvote as long as I find a post interesting. There's plenty of political news, for example, that I don't like, that I don't agree with. I'll still upvote. Same...It's kinda up to you. I personally upvote as long as I find a post interesting. There's plenty of political news, for example, that I don't like, that I don't agree with. I'll still upvote.
Same with even comments. I don't agree with everything everyone says, but if it's at least thoughtful and/or reasoned-out, I'll give it an upvote.
I'll even do charity upvotes, mainly as a sign that "Hey someone read your comment. You didn't just scream into the void."
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of June 29 in ~society
JCPhoenix Link ParentThat should've been a slam dunk 9-0 for these "originalists" or "textualists" or whatever bullshit they're calling themselves these days. I realized that if the decision were to overturn, and it...That should've been a slam dunk 9-0 for these "originalists" or "textualists" or whatever bullshit they're calling themselves these days.
I realized that if the decision were to overturn, and it was decided to apply retroactively...I'd be the only one in my family who possibly wouldn't be a US citizen. Neither of my parents had naturalized before I was born. My dad would naturalize a couple years later so he could work for the US govt. My younger brother born a couple years after that, would derive his citizenship from my dad. And then my mom naturalized like 10yrs after my dad (she dragged her feet, even though she had been in the US like 30yrs already...). I'd be the only one left out.
The "fun" part is that I, too, work for the government. And I hold a clearance. I imagine there are lot of us in that boat. Figurative boat; not a literal one, thank god...
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Comment on I made a satirical AI detector in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentEventually, humans will cycle to NOT using punctuation and capitalization and proper grammar/spelling at all, as a way to distinguish their content. We'll go back to 1337-speak and early T9-based...Eventually, humans will cycle to NOT using punctuation and capitalization and proper grammar/spelling at all, as a way to distinguish their content. We'll go back to 1337-speak and early T9-based txt msg styles. For me, I've started swearing more in comments. Not that AI can't do that, but I don't see it that often. Obligatory, gonna be some bullshit...
Sounds crazy, but I've definitely seen some people, like on reddit, call out others' messages as being AI because of semi-colons or even bullet point and other formatting in comments and such. It's ridiculous, but whatcha gonna do?
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Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Austrian Grand Prix
Red Bull Ring
June 26-28, 2026
Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps 1 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:07.398 1:06.979 1:06.113 20 2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:07.543 1:07.030 1:06.349 15 3 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:07.290 1:06.994 1:06.408 14 4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:07.083 1:06.763 1:06.414 17 5 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:07.407 1:07.183 1:06.475 11 6 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:07.259 1:06.897 1:06.502 15 7 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:07.487 1:06.890 1:06.511 14 8 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 1:07.408 1:07.086 1:06.632 18 9 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:07.385 1:07.136 1:06.955 18 10 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:07.549 1:07.155 1:07.007 18 11 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:08.038 1:07.223 12 12 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:08.035 1:07.293 12 13 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:08.061 1:07.523 12 14 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:08.066 1:07.611 15 15 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1:08.231 1:07.817 15 16 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:07.894 1:08.171 11 17 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:08.252 9 18 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:08.509 9 19 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:08.945 9 20 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:09.030 9 21 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:09.942 9 22 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:10.363 8 Source: F1.com
Grand Prix Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts. 1 63 George Russell Mercedes 71 1:26:37.979 25 2 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 71 +1.611s 18 3 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 71 +1.986s 15 4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 71 +21.809s 12 5 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 71 +26.393s 10 6 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 71 +29.399s 8 7 1 Lando Norris McLaren 71 +31.505s 6 8 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 +45.659s 4 9 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 70 +1 lap 2 10 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 70 +1 lap 1 11 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 70 +1 lap 0 12 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 70 +1 lap 0 13 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 70 +1 lap 0 14 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 70 +1 lap 0 15 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 70 +1 lap 0 16 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 69 +2 laps 0 17 23 Alexander Albon Williams 69 +2 laps 0 18 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 68 +3 laps 0 NC 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 45 DNF 0 NC 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 23 DNF 0 NC 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 4 DNF 0 NC 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 2 DNF 0 Fastest Lap: Kimi Antonelli // 1:10.374 on lap 59
DOTD: Max VerstappenSource: F1.com
Next race:
British Grand Prix
Silverstone Circuit
July 3-5, 202610 votes -
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
JCPhoenix Link ParentCearly the ECB didn't have enough "Mandatory Proletarian Solidarity Sessions." For shame, ECB. For shame.As for Kuchta's pledge to win 100 percent of the vote, he failed miserably in the elections held Tuesday, according to results seen by POLITICO. While he managed to double his score compared to the last election round, his 630 votes left him 13th out of 15 candidates and failed to secure him a seat on the committee.
Cearly the ECB didn't have enough "Mandatory Proletarian Solidarity Sessions." For shame, ECB. For shame.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
JCPhoenix Link ParentOK I was wondering what was the deal with this golden goose thing. I saw it all over my Mastodon instance yesterday, but was too afraid too ask.OK I was wondering what was the deal with this golden goose thing. I saw it all over my Mastodon instance yesterday, but was too afraid too ask.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
JCPhoenix LinkI follow COLORS on YouTube and they often feature some great artists and song. And today was no different: earthsignchels - Daddy Died.I follow COLORS on YouTube and they often feature some great artists and song. And today was no different: earthsignchels - Daddy Died.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
JCPhoenix LinkGracie the giraffe has gone missing in Texas Ah yes, look for the rounded ear giraffe amongst the, I'm sure, many other wild and free Texas giraffes. For the record, this is the second time in as...Gracie the giraffe has gone missing in Texas
Texas officials are still on the lookout on Wednesday for a missing giraffe named Gracie.
"LOST GIRAFFE," says the title of a social media post on Monday from the Real County Animal Rescue-Shelter, a nonprofit based in Camp Wood, Texas.
[...]
The only description for Gracie in the post is that she has "rounded ears."
Ah yes, look for the rounded ear giraffe amongst the, I'm sure, many other wild and free Texas giraffes.
For the record, this is the second time in as many weeks that I've heard of missing giraffes in the US. At least the other giraffes were found.
Guys, stop misplacing your giraffes.
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Comment on Grand Theft Auto VI - Pre-orders and Edition information in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkFor a moment I was like, "Wait...No PC/Steam release?" Then I forgot that GTA5 was a consoles-first release. I haven't kept up with the hype too much, so I'm sure that got announced somewhere...For a moment I was like, "Wait...No PC/Steam release?" Then I forgot that GTA5 was a consoles-first release. I haven't kept up with the hype too much, so I'm sure that got announced somewhere along the line.
Which is OK for me; I've only ever played GTA titles on Playstations. At this point, it's just tradition.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentI saw a sale last night on Amazon, via r/buildapcsales, for one of those mini, NUC-sized PCs. $520 for a 32GB DDR5, 1TB NVME, and a Ryzen 7 H255. $520. So I bought one. Other commenters pointed...I saw a sale last night on Amazon, via r/buildapcsales, for one of those mini, NUC-sized PCs. $520 for a 32GB DDR5, 1TB NVME, and a Ryzen 7 H255. $520. So I bought one.
Other commenters pointed out that this thing can connect to an eGPU. There's some GPU dock that's like $100. Then it's possible to find 8GB 9060 XT for like $350 (also need a PSU for the dock + gpu). So that's somewhere around the price of a Steam Machine. Probably a little over it. But sounds like it's way more powerful.
Not saying I'm going to go the eGPU route, but even as a standalone gaming-oriented HTPC, it should be be pretty good. And beats the Steam Machine cost by half.
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Comment on How much of an echo chamber is Reddit/the internet, really? in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentI live in VA, and during the previous election where we were voting on mid-term redistricting (which passed, but the the state supreme court voided due to procedural issues. sigh), there were...I live in VA, and during the previous election where we were voting on mid-term redistricting (which passed, but the the state supreme court voided due to procedural issues. sigh), there were mailers that featured Obama on them.
On mailers for both the Yes and No campaigns mailers. Obama campaigned on Yes for redistricting.
These people just straight up lie and deceive these days. Regardless, given that it was all for nothing, incredible waste of money, time, and paper.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentAgreed. $450 these days seems pretty out there. Even before the component shortage, I'm not saying a $450 build wasn't possible, but I imagine that'd be scraping bottom of the barrel. I'm pretty...Agreed. $450 these days seems pretty out there. Even before the component shortage, I'm not saying a $450 build wasn't possible, but I imagine that'd be scraping bottom of the barrel. I'm pretty sure my brother did a $400-500 OK enough build for his then GF, but that was in like 2022/2023. And that wasn't an SFFPC, just a Mini or MicroATX tower. SFFs are usually more expensive than standard desktops.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentI briefly saw an article that was positing that GTA6 could be like $80-90! Yeesh...But the masses will pay for it. ...Myself included. Just so I can play it for a couple weeks and then never...I briefly saw an article that was positing that GTA6 could be like $80-90! Yeesh...But the masses will pay for it.
...Myself included. Just so I can play it for a couple weeks and then never finish it. Just like the GTA3, Vice City, GTA4, GTA5... 😔
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkI finished LumineNight. It's a detective game, but I feel like it's built around its puzzles than actual deduction. Because the former are more challenging than the latter. I say "more...I finished LumineNight. It's a detective game, but I feel like it's built around its puzzles than actual deduction. Because the former are more challenging than the latter. I say "more challenging," but I still cheated my way through most of the puzzles. I didn't expect the puzzles, which is my fault for not reading the Steam store page closely enough. But I just don't care to do puzzles in my detective games. Beyond that, the story started feeling a bit unbelievable. All this takes place in a single day? And some dastardly villain has set up all these puzzles in just one day just so the MC can, for example, get a key to a room? Ehh. Also the ending got super dramatic out of nowhere. So Idk. I guess I give it a 'C.' Not a bad game. Just not the best detective game I've played. The art is really well done, though.
Picked up 007 First Light. That hurt the ol' wallet at $70. But so far it seems worth it. I'm a huge fan of the Hitman series, and I like James Bond movies, so it was a natural fit. Not super far into it yet, but I'm liking what I'm seeing and experiencing.
Itching to go back to a JRPG though. Think I'll head back to Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure soon. Maybe even get back into FF7 Rebirth. Think last time I played it was at least a year and a half ago.
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Comment on Steam Machine prices revealed, starting at US$1049.00 in ~games
JCPhoenix (edited )LinkHow much is a comparable self-built or even pre-built going for these days? I know prices are volatile on practically all components these days, so tough to pin down. A few days ago, a friend and...How much is a comparable self-built or even pre-built going for these days? I know prices are volatile on practically all components these days, so tough to pin down.
A few days ago, a friend and I were discussing the Steam Machine and possible pricing and wondering, "OK, so what will we be paying for here?" SFF? SteamOS? What are the cons? Lack of customization/future upgrading? Are those things worth it? Now the pricing is definitely within reason. So that definitely makes takes the "edge" off some of my questions.
For me, yeah an SFFPC is nice, but I don't really care. I used to have a MiniATX desktop attached to my TV (it's now my secondary gaming machine in the living room; now I have an old NUC attached to the TV). SteamOS is nice -- I have a Steam Deck -- but do I really care that much? I've had no issue connecting my Steam Deck to dock and then connecting it to the TV, and then using a controller from the couch. When I had the miniATX with the TV, I just used Steam's Big Picture mode and a controller. Or even Remote Play.
I think for me, I'm having a hard time convincing myself that this a console. I'm still seeing it as a PC. I don't have a problem with consoles. I have a PS4 and a PS5 and a Switch. I'm obviously not thinking upgradability and customization with a console. But with a PC, I do. And compared to a console, >$1000 is a lot. Think my PS3 was priciest console I've ever purchased at like $500-600.
Something to think about, I suppose. I'd like to get one, but if I'm paying $1049...can I get something "better" for that same price? Idk.
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Comment on Steam Next Fest June 2026 in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkJust tried out Burn-9. It's a stealth game, but instead of controlling the asset in the field, you're the operator acting as eyes and ears and, to some extent, brain for the agent. Plays like a...Just tried out Burn-9. It's a stealth game, but instead of controlling the asset in the field, you're the operator acting as eyes and ears and, to some extent, brain for the agent. Plays like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" visual novel where choices absolutely matter. I game over'd because I made the wrong choice. Game has a quaint old-school CRT and 8- or 16-bit aesthetic.
Added to the Wishlist!
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Comment on How much of an echo chamber is Reddit/the internet, really? in ~tech
JCPhoenix (edited )Link ParentThe worst is during election season. The amount of mailers is ridiculous. Like who are these people who are simply voting on an issue or candidate based on a random piece of mail? Don't answer...The worst is during election season. The amount of mailers is ridiculous. Like who are these people who are simply voting on an issue or candidate based on a random piece of mail? Don't answer that; I know the depressing answer. Sigh.
I get that these also function as a reminder that an election is coming up or underway. But I don't need five mailers a day, one from each candidate, plus the YES and NO ones for ballot issues. For the whole month, and then some, preceding an election.
It's incredibly wasteful. I send it straight to recycling/trash.
I'm excited for this one! Because it's a JRPG again! I'm pretty sure I played Lufia II as a kid. Not a lot, because it was just like a 3-day Blockbuster rental. I don't remember much, but I do remember being impressed with it. But I also vaguely remember just messing around on other renters' save files. I sometimes did that with rentals; especially when I was really young. I wouldn't start my own save file; I'd just use others'. That's how I "beat" Chrono Trigger for the first time back in the day.
While I have an SNES (sorta...I think it's at my parents' house across the country), I don't have a cart. So I'll be using an emulator on my Windows computer. Maybe even my Steam Deck.
I tried using SNES9X, which is what I've used in the past. However, I couldn't get it to recognize my PS4 controller (never really used controller with emulators before). The Input Config was recognizing button presses, but the game itself never responded to controller inputs. So tried Super ZSNES instead, and my PS4 controller worked right out the box with the game. Only change to the layout I made was swapping A/B and X/Y positions. I'm a Playstation fanboi, after all.
As for the ROM, I'm using the US version.
I've been playing for about 45min now. And yeah...I don't really remember any of this, lol. I don't remember the "Zelda-esque" dungeon movement, nor puzzles. I just did a little bit of grinding in the first dungeon and kinda poking around in there to map it out. Doing a blind playthrough, ideally with no guides.
Two old-school annoyances right off the bat: random battles on the overworld map, and inability to save wherever, whenever. Luckily, I can use the emulator's out-of-game save states. And I can put up with some random battles. Got a 5-day holiday weekend, so I'll try to play a bunch.