JRandomHacker's recent activity
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Comment on We turned New Zealand into a giant real-life board game | Jet Lag: The Game in ~hobbies
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Comment on Why I decided not to do Emrakul, and how we shipped it anyway in ~comp
JRandomHacker LinkIan (the author of this article) is a fantastic guy - he regularly hangs out in a Magic-focused Discord that I'm active in, and he's super hands-on with the community. Our community tends to be...Ian (the author of this article) is a fantastic guy - he regularly hangs out in a Magic-focused Discord that I'm active in, and he's super hands-on with the community. Our community tends to be pretty boundary-pushing in terms of Magic complexity, and he's oh-so-tolerant of us sending him the weirdest bug reports, and willing to share some fun stories from the dev process.
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Comment on US airline accidentally exposes ‘No Fly List’ on unsecured server in ~tech
JRandomHacker LinkPleasantly surprised by the language in this article - they actually seem to accurately describe the mundanity/ease of the "hack", which puts the blame more squarely where it belongs (on the...Pleasantly surprised by the language in this article - they actually seem to accurately describe the mundanity/ease of the "hack", which puts the blame more squarely where it belongs (on the company that left this server unsecured and publicly accessible)
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Comment on Wikipedia has spent years on a barely noticeable redesign in ~design
JRandomHacker Link ParentThere was a really funny/sad pair of comments I saw on the orangesite about the sticky header that went something like:The community has a fit about every redesign that comes their way (regardless of its utility)
There was a really funny/sad pair of comments I saw on the orangesite about the sticky header that went something like:
I hate sticky headers. Why would anybody in their right mind ever want a sticky header? Who approved this design?
Literally here is the survey they conducted showing that using the sticky header was preferred by users by a pretty significant margin
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Comment on Awesome Games Done Quick 2023, a week-long charity fundraising event featuring speedruns, has begun in ~games
JRandomHacker Link ParentSpecifically, for the Florida venue, there were two issues with "Florida" and one with "venue" - The GDQ organizers had concerns about both Florida's policies forbidding vaccination requirements...Specifically, for the Florida venue, there were two issues with "Florida" and one with "venue" - The GDQ organizers had concerns about both Florida's policies forbidding vaccination requirements for events, as well as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, given the diversity of the speedrunning community. The organizers considered doing a venue-change, but the existing venue contract was a multi-year deal signed in January 2020. The 2021 booking was rolled forward to 2022 and then to 2023, but couldn't be altered any further. GDQ had to buy-out of the contract, and wouldn't have been able to afford both the buy-out fee and the cost to book a new venue.
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Comment on What are your less-traditional Christmas songs? in ~music
JRandomHacker LinkWhite Wine in the Sun - Tim Minchin Perfectly sums up my feelings as someone who is Definitely Not Religious, but still considers Christmas my favorite holiday.White Wine in the Sun - Tim Minchin
Perfectly sums up my feelings as someone who is Definitely Not Religious, but still considers Christmas my favorite holiday.
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Comment on What 2023 tech conferences are on your radar? Here's a listicle that might inspire you. in ~comp
JRandomHacker LinkI'm really hoping Build is back in-person this yearI'm really hoping Build is back in-person this year
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Comment on Why build a diving board twice the Olympic height? in ~sports
JRandomHacker LinkI'm going to echo some of the youtube comments and express my shock when she responded to a question with "Well, I'm 41 now..."I'm going to echo some of the youtube comments and express my shock when she responded to a question with "Well, I'm 41 now..."
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Comment on Megathread for news/updates/discussion about Musk's takeover of Twitter – Part 1 in ~tech
JRandomHacker Link ParentJust so you know, Foone uses they/them pronounsJust so you know, Foone uses they/them pronouns
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Comment on The Lion King: Tiny Desk Concert (2022) in ~music
JRandomHacker LinkIt's been years since I saw this show live, but I still remember the awe that "Circle of Life" generates to open the show.It's been years since I saw this show live, but I still remember the awe that "Circle of Life" generates to open the show.
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Comment on If you speak another language other than English, what are some interesting differences with English in its vocabulary? in ~talk
JRandomHacker Link ParentEnglish has kept gendered nouns in languages it borrowed from in a few rare cases. Terms for jobs is one place - English keeps the gendered suffixes -or and -ess from French and uses -or for...English has kept gendered nouns in languages it borrowed from in a few rare cases. Terms for jobs is one place - English keeps the gendered suffixes -or and -ess from French and uses -or for masculine forms and -ess for feminine forms of jobs like "actress" and "waitress". On the other hand, we didn't do the same with Latin suffixes in words like "aviator" - -tor is for either masculine or feminine, and Trix are for kids.
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Comment on Yishan Wong (ex-Reddit CEO) on moderation in ~tech
JRandomHacker Link ParentI see a lot of casual transphobia on HN, along with a lot of libertarian-dream "of course the market and the smart engineers will always sort everything out, and requiring any sort of regulation...I see a lot of casual transphobia on HN, along with a lot of libertarian-dream "of course the market and the smart engineers will always sort everything out, and requiring any sort of regulation would be a gross overreach"
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Comment on What is your earliest memory of the internet? in ~talk
JRandomHacker LinkI think the first thing I really remember was playing browser games on Lego.com (shoutouts to Junkbot, Backlot, and the Mata Nui Online Game in particular). From there it was probably Miniclip...I think the first thing I really remember was playing browser games on Lego.com (shoutouts to Junkbot, Backlot, and the Mata Nui Online Game in particular). From there it was probably Miniclip (and therefore Runescape). The first notable community for me was a fan forum for the Animorphs book series, and that was the most formative experience of my early-internet times. I've made some incredible friends there.
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Comment on Artosis, esports casting godfather, moves on in ~games
JRandomHacker LinkI've stopped regularly watching pro Starcraft a while ago, but man, this one hurts. I got my introduction to the game in college by staying up until ass-o'clock in the morning, watching GSL live.I've stopped regularly watching pro Starcraft a while ago, but man, this one hurts. I got my introduction to the game in college by staying up until ass-o'clock in the morning, watching GSL live.
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Comment on How an urban myth about litter boxes in schools became a GOP talking point in ~misc
JRandomHacker Link ParentCat litter is an excellent spill-cleanup substance that's cheap, easily available, and pre-packaged. I've often used sawdust, but that's less practical if you're not, say, nearby an active woodshop.Cat litter is an excellent spill-cleanup substance that's cheap, easily available, and pre-packaged. I've often used sawdust, but that's less practical if you're not, say, nearby an active woodshop.
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Comment on Maybeshewill - Not For Want Of Trying (2008) in ~music
JRandomHacker Link ParentSigur Ros was my onboarding to post-rock - Untitled #8 might still be my favorite song in the genreSigur Ros was my onboarding to post-rock - Untitled #8 might still be my favorite song in the genre
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Comment on Maybeshewill - Not For Want Of Trying (2008) in ~music
JRandomHacker LinkLove me some post-rock. My recent driving music has been a lot of God Is An Astronaut, If These Trees Could Talk, Pg.lost, and MonoLove me some post-rock. My recent driving music has been a lot of God Is An Astronaut, If These Trees Could Talk, Pg.lost, and Mono
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Comment on The smartest website you havent heard of in ~comp
JRandomHacker LinkMcMaster also has incredible local pickup, and supporting a scale far smaller than I assumed they would. I live within driving range of one of their warehouses, and it's totally possible for me to...McMaster also has incredible local pickup, and supporting a scale far smaller than I assumed they would. I live within driving range of one of their warehouses, and it's totally possible for me to order something like "Five bolts, three washers, and a bracket", and drive over there and pick up my parts in under an hour.
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Comment on What are some of your favorite tabletop RPG systems and settings, and what do you love about them? in ~games.tabletop
JRandomHacker LinkI don't have nearly as much TTRPG experience as the rest of my usual playgroup, and I'm definitely not as talented with the improv/storytelling aspects. That being said, I've really fallen for...I don't have nearly as much TTRPG experience as the rest of my usual playgroup, and I'm definitely not as talented with the improv/storytelling aspects. That being said, I've really fallen for Exalted 3rd Edition. It's most definitely not a system for everyone - it's very crunchy (the base rulebook runs nearly 700 pages, and there are now multiple expansions for other character types), and character-building and combat get quite complex. The things that have made me like it:
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The over-the-top drama without relying on silliness: A starting-level Exalt is already vastly more powerful than most mortals, and things only go up from there. A long-running Exalted chronicle will probably end up on the "divine" or "cosmic" scale of conflicts. There's also the "stunts" system, akin to D&D's "inspiration". It's a small reward (dice bonuses or partial auto-success) given when you give extra flavorful description to the actions you're taking, instead of just listing off skills. You're able to stunt nearly every single roll you make, and you're actually encouraged to do so. My favorite example of the power-level of Exalted is the skill "Graceful Crane Technique". As-described, it allows your character to treat any solid object they stand on as if it were flat, level ground. Simple examples include things like walking a tightrope or maintaining balance on a rocky hillside. The book explains that this escalates all the way up to "running across the spear-points of a large mortal army, doing battle with another Exalt" - and this is a skill you can take right away during character creation.
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The social combat system. For someone who isn't naturally good at free-flowing roleplay character interactions, I love the structure that Exalted provides here. When you create a character, you give them Intimacies - strong positive or negative feelings towards either something or someone (a Tie) or a more abstract concept (a Principle). When you get into a social situation that you want to get something out of, you can use your skills to determine what Intimacies the other characters have, and then if you want to persuade them to do something out of the ordinary, you have to lean on one or more of their Intimacies to get them to do so.
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Honestly, the crunchiness. Exalted uses 9 attributes and 26 abilities to build your character's stats. You then get to select from dozens upon dozens of Charms, which are activated or triggered spell-like effects, but for any ability. The Charms are arranged basically into video-game-like skill trees, so you can really customize the flavor of your character by selecting which charms they take. My last character was heavily invested in the Resistance ability, and I specifically chose the portion of the Charm tree that dealt with berserker-style combat - once I got going, I was nearly unstoppable in battle. However, if I was stopped, Very Bad Things happened very quickly. Even though another character in the party also had a significant amount of Resistance, because he had a different set of Charms, we played our characters very differently.
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Comment on Why Chicago's skyline is insanely well designed in ~design
JRandomHacker LinkThis is one of my extremely-unimportant hills that I'll die on - that Chicago has the greatest skyline in the US. I'm really glad he talked about the view from the lake.This is one of my extremely-unimportant hills that I'll die on - that Chicago has the greatest skyline in the US. I'm really glad he talked about the view from the lake.
Definitely the most informative episode of the Snack Zone yet