Jordan117's recent activity
-
Comment on Your favourite karaoke songs? in ~music
-
Comment on Coyote vs. Acme | Official trailer in ~movies
Jordan117 LinkFor context, this movie was ~99% completed in 2023 and had strong reviews from test audiences... until Warner shelved it as a tax write-off, as they had already done for several other...For context, this movie was ~99% completed in 2023 and had strong reviews from test audiences... until Warner shelved it as a tax write-off, as they had already done for several other near-finished projects. The resulting backlash from the crew and supporters led to a protracted process of trying to sell it to a distributor, which is why it eventually landed with Ketchup Entertainment.
If you care about the success of original ideas, practical effects, and opposing Hollywood accounting BS that needlessly kills projects like this for a quick buck, definitely try to see it in theaters.
-
Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Jordan117 Link ParentNope, it's entirely cloud-based. Once you set up the back end, you can generally install the Stremio client on a desktop, tablet, phone, streaming stick, or smart TV, and everything will sync to...Nope, it's entirely cloud-based. Once you set up the back end, you can generally install the Stremio client on a desktop, tablet, phone, streaming stick, or smart TV, and everything will sync to your account. Some platforms/devices make this more difficult than others (you have to jailbreak Amazon Fire TV sticks for ex, which takes about 20 minutes), but apart from totally locked-down vendors like Roku, there's usually a way to install Stremio or another app that can plug into the Real Debrid backend.
-
Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
-
Comment on AI populism's warning shots in ~society
Jordan117 LinkExperienced this firsthand the other day. ResetEra, a large progressive forum I've been on since it was originally NeoGAF in 2007, has been trending strongly in this populist anti-AI direction --...Experienced this firsthand the other day. ResetEra, a large progressive forum I've been on since it was originally NeoGAF in 2007, has been trending strongly in this populist anti-AI direction -- thanks in part to moderators distorting their policies to shut down more informed or educational discussion while turning a blind eye to ragebait and witchhunts, which drives away experts while emboldening absolutists. It reached a new low the other day when posts on the attacks on Altman and that Indiana politician became filled with comments glorifying the violence, calling for more, and attacking anyone who disagreed. I reported the post the day it went up, but no action was taken for days as the murder-fantasies went on for page after page. When I posted in the site's meta-discussion thread calling out the mods for tolerating violent rhetoric, they permabanned me instead.
It's such a frustrating dynamic, because the core problem with AI is not the technology itself, but capitalism writ large. Generative AI as a technology is both conceptually fascinating and value-neutral. If people had no fear of becoming destitute or perverse incentives drowning out creative works, it would just be another creative tool on par with the synthesizer, allowing people to extend their labor and explore their creativity more freely (that was the vibe in the early days of AI Dungeon and DALL-E 2, before the ChatGPT-driven rush to commercialization). Movements like this at best throw the baby out with the bathwater, and at worst discredit the legitimate grievances with misinformation and inchoate violence, turning control of this technology firmly over to megacorporate techno-fascists. It's why critics should be the most engaged with the space, so they understand what they're criticizing and can better recognize both how to effectively regulate it and how to turn aspects of it to the advantage of regular people (open source being the biggest opportunity here). But instead too many people in left-leaning spaces treat anything less than "fuck this devilry and fuck anyone who uses it" as the equivalent of a Silicon Valley techbro chud. Just one more divisive kneejerk culture war.
-
Comment on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home targeted with molotov cocktail in ~tech
Jordan117 (edited )LinkIt's getting rough out there, y'all. There's a big gaming-adjacent forum I used to frequent, ResetEra, which always billed itself as a cut above others in terms of being civil and progressive. It...It's getting rough out there, y'all.
There's a big gaming-adjacent forum I used to frequent, ResetEra, which always billed itself as a cut above others in terms of being civil and progressive. It was actually formed when the mods and most users of the website NeoGAF jumped ship in protest after the controversial owner got #MeToo'd.
They used to handle the AI discourse about as reasonably as Tildes does, but a couple years ago some extremely anti-tech faction of the mod team successfully lobbied for policies purporting to sharply limit AI discussion, which they promptly started abusing to smother informative or newsworthy threads while letting low-effort ragebait on the topic proliferate. As somebody with very mixed feelings on the technology who nevertheless enjoys talking about its evolution and implications, this was a very frustrating development.
Recently there were multiple threads about violence directed at people associated with the industry, including the now-multiple attacks on Altman's home and gunfire shot at the house of an Indiana politician who backed data center construction. Both were filled with comments glorifying the violence and openly hoping for more. Despite being flagrant violations of site rules, the posts stayed open for days and reports about them were ignored. When I finally called out the moderation failure in the site's official meta thread and asked why they were tolerating people advocating murder, they permabanned me instead.
I don't consider it a great loss, since I'd been spending minimal time there lately due to the mods flouting their own rules like that more and more often. Revisiting any thread more than a year or two old invariably shows a graveyard of normal-seeming commenters whose accounts have since been banned (or self-deleted in protest) for crossing the mods one way or another. But it says something that one of the last big progressive forums with a solidly 30+ progressive audience is being infected by this kind of bloodthirsty rhetoric, and that the people in charge are less inclined to punish people braying for murder than they are the people accusing them of tolerating calls for violence. You kind of expect to see that on social media these days, but part of me hoped that older-school places with alleged standards would hold the line better.
-
Comment on What might be going on with this indie game "fansite"? in ~games
Jordan117 Link ParentThanks for digging further! I agree the writing smacks of AI in tone and confabulation, despite claiming otherwise. I wonder if the Google tracking code is related to the embedded YouTube videos?Thanks for digging further! I agree the writing smacks of AI in tone and confabulation, despite claiming otherwise.
I wonder if the Google tracking code is related to the embedded YouTube videos?
-
Comment on What might be going on with this indie game "fansite"? in ~games
Jordan117 Link ParentI'm 90% sure the writing is AI-generated, or at least heavily AI-assisted. Even setting aside the strangely high amount of effort to exhaustively document a small indie title that's not especially...I'm 90% sure the writing is AI-generated, or at least heavily AI-assisted. Even setting aside the strangely high amount of effort to exhaustively document a small indie title that's not especially complex, it includes a lot of false information that no dedicated fan of the game would write. For example, it misidentifies the name of save points and the appearance of health powerups, invents a scroll-wheel zoom (while missing the more basic sprint key), and hallucinates the behavior of the monster. It also comes up with story dialogue I never saw in the game, and the screenshots don't really correspond to what the captions describe.
-
What might be going on with this indie game "fansite"?
I recently came across an interesting-looking indie game, Idols of Ash. Basically, you have to use a simple grapple-and-swing mechanic to descend through an eldritch underground complex while...
I recently came across an interesting-looking indie game, Idols of Ash. Basically, you have to use a simple grapple-and-swing mechanic to descend through an eldritch underground complex while being pursued by a dangerous "murderpede" monster.
I first played it on what I thought was the official site, idolsofash.fun. It's a pretty spiffy design, with a playable web version, extensive FAQs, strategy guides, and embedded images and video of the game. But I ran into some bugs while playing -- no sound effects, weird lighting. When I mentioned these flaws on the developer's Itch.io page, they responded that they had nothing to do with the site.
Turns out it has a disclaimer at the very bottom: "Unofficial fan site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Leafy Games." Buying and installing the actual version solved my tech issues. And in playing the game more, I noticed that the various guides on the site were subtly wrong in a lot of ways. The About page claims it's maintained by a big fan of the game, but in hindsight the whole thing seems AI-written and full of hallucinations.
Thing is, I don't get the angle here. There's no advertising on the site. It prominently links directly to the game's official Steam and Itch pages, so they're not trying to deliver malware or intercept the developer's sales. I assume the glitches are from a poor decompilation and rehosting of the original Godot engine game, but there's nothing to be gained from that. The presence of images and video suggests some level of human involvement in the site design, meaning it's not some cheap fire-and-forget thing. The URL and content are far too specific to flip into something else after gaining SEO rank. It presents (and acts) exactly like a non-commercial labor-of-love fansite (albeit one that shares the paid game for free in a broken state).
Could this be a genuine, if misguided, attempt by an actual fan to share the game using AI tools? Or is there some kind of scam I'm not seeing? Is this sort of fake AI fansite with embedded versions of the game a widespread problem with indie titles now?
23 votes -
Comment on Suggest media in which the antagonist is an idea or an abstract concept rather than a person or intelligent entity in ~talk
Jordan117 Link ParentIt's definitely horror, but in a more abstract way than the Backrooms. The latter has at least one explicit creature, plus a major subplot involving shadowy corporate research gone mad (and that's...It's definitely horror, but in a more abstract way than the Backrooms. The latter has at least one explicit creature, plus a major subplot involving shadowy corporate research gone mad (and that's in the Kane Parsons version that handles it with more subtlety than most).
The House in HoL ranges from "quietly unsettling" to "actively malevolent", but there's no explicit monster (beyond thematic references to a Minotaur), and the research/madness angle is less prominent and has a much less "DHARMA Initiative from Lost" vibe.
The worst thing I can say about it is that the framing story -- Johnny Truant finding and compiling the manuscript for the book from the mysterious Zampanò -- is far less compelling to me than the core Navidson Record story. The horror creeps in at the edges, especially when Zampanò's work is involved, but it's mostly about sex, drugs, and nervous breakdown on the seedy side of LA. I find myself largely skipping his narrative whenever I reread, which is easier since the different perspectives are in different fonts.
-
Comment on Suggest media in which the antagonist is an idea or an abstract concept rather than a person or intelligent entity in ~talk
Jordan117 LinkPontypool (2008): Excellent indie horror film with some great character actors. It looks like a regular zombie movie at first glance, but it's not -- go in totally blind if you can. Blindsight:...Pontypool (2008): Excellent indie horror film with some great character actors. It looks like a regular zombie movie at first glance, but it's not -- go in totally blind if you can.
Blindsight: (Free to read online!) My favorite science fiction novel. It's essentially a first contact story with a species of frighteningly intelligent aliens, but their raw intelligence is not what makes them so disturbing -- the ultimate threat is far more existential and fundamental, in a way that's impossible to describe without spoiling.
Some related recs: House of Leaves, Piranesi, and the upcoming Backrooms movie. All three have what you could deem antagonists/villains, but they primarily feature characters confronting mysterious, seemingly infinite environments steeped in abstract horror/awe and existential dread. They do it in very different ways -- HoL's documentary style and experimental formatting, Piranesi's dreamlike wonder, and Backroom's banal, liminal horror -- but all scratch the same itch for me. Piranesi in particular has a superb audiobook and an upcoming film adaptation by animation studio Laika that should be very good.
-
Comment on You can finally change the goofy Gmail address you chose years ago in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkAs somebody with a mildly "unprofessional"-looking main Gmail address, I got foolishly excited over this, but turns out that FirstnameLastname, FLastname, and FMLastname are all taken. And both my...As somebody with a mildly "unprofessional"-looking main Gmail address, I got foolishly excited over this, but turns out that FirstnameLastname, FLastname, and FMLastname are all taken. And both my abbreviated Lastname and birthyear have some, uh, unwanted implications. (Plus, adding numbers or other cruft just feels like recreating the original problem).
But maybe I just avoided the annoying problem where you constantly get email intended for someone with your same name.
-
Comment on Does anyone play older versions of Minecraft? in ~games
Jordan117 LinkYou'd probably be interested in Prism Launcher. It's a free open-source Minecraft launcher that lets you maintain multiple legacy versions, mods, etc. Very handy for this sort of thing!You'd probably be interested in Prism Launcher. It's a free open-source Minecraft launcher that lets you maintain multiple legacy versions, mods, etc. Very handy for this sort of thing!
-
Comment on Wikipedia:AI or not quiz in ~tech
Jordan117 Link ParentThanks! 6/10, with equal parts confusing AI for human and vice-versa.Thanks! 6/10, with equal parts confusing AI for human and vice-versa.
-
Comment on Wikipedia:AI or not quiz in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkIs there an answer key? It says to check the edit history for spoilers but they all seem to have been moved from the AI Cleanup Wikiproject page and I'm not sure what other signs to look for there...Is there an answer key? It says to check the edit history for spoilers but they all seem to have been moved from the AI Cleanup Wikiproject page and I'm not sure what other signs to look for there (though I am on mobile).
-
Comment on Digg has shutdown (again) in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkWhich means it's probably not a smart idea to light your existing userbase on fire with massively unpopular, poorly-thought-out changes. I'll never forgive them for completely erasing years of...The loyalty users have to the communities they've already built elsewhere is profound. Getting people to move is a hard enough problem. Getting them to move and bring their people with them is something else entirely.
Which means it's probably not a smart idea to light your existing userbase on fire with massively unpopular, poorly-thought-out changes. I'll never forgive them for completely erasing years of contributions without any warning.
We're also announcing something we're excited about: Kevin Rose, Digg's founder who started the company back in 2004, is returning to join the team full-time.
Oh, the guy who oversaw the redesign that killed the site in the first place? Yeah, I'm sure that will go great.
-
Comment on Parseword - a delightfully complex word game from Wordle’s creator in ~games
Jordan117 (edited )LinkThe header says it's on Daily Puzzle #43, but I'm not seeing any way to access previous day's puzzles. Seems like a weirdly limiting choice, unless they're planning to monetize the archive down...The header says it's on Daily Puzzle #43, but I'm not seeing any way to access previous day's puzzles. Seems like a weirdly limiting choice, unless they're planning to monetize the archive down the road. It would be a great way to practice if it were available.
edit: I tried the contract form and they were kind enough to reply!
Hi Jordan, thanks for playing!
We don't currently have this available but we will be discussing, as it's a request we are getting a lot of. Thanks!
- Matt
-
Comment on Kristi Noem removed from position as Secretary of US Homeland Security by Donald Trump in ~society
Jordan117 Link ParentPersonally, I was a fan of her being questioned about it before Congress on national television under oath so she couldn't really lie, just deflect... and with her husband sitting right there with...Personally, I was a fan of her being questioned about it before Congress on national television under oath so she couldn't really lie, just deflect... and with her husband sitting right there with her.
-
Comment on AI’s memorization crisis in ~tech
Jordan117 LinkI'm so over this "bend over backwards to torture models into doing something illegal/dangerous, then act all shocked when it happens" routine. If the companies take such pains to block this output...I'm so over this "bend over backwards to torture models into doing something illegal/dangerous, then act all shocked when it happens" routine. If the companies take such pains to block this output that you have to spam a double-secret codephrase 5000 times to bamboozle it into giving a single sentence, is that memorization really a threat to any rightsholder? It's like complaining that Microsoft Word makes it possible to type up and distribute the text of a copyrighted book.
Liability on this issue should pertain to the act of knowingly reproducing and profiting from such copyrighted material, not the fact that it's plausible in principle if you deliberately circumvent their policies. Wake me up when ChatGPT starts offering replicated novels as a replacement for buying the book.
-
Comment on What are your architectural hot takes? in ~design
Jordan117 LinkEconomic inequality, workmanship issues, and possible money-laundering aside, the new generation of supertalls on Billionaires' Row in New York are cool as fuck. Steinway Tower, 432 Park, even...Economic inequality, workmanship issues, and possible money-laundering aside, the new generation of supertalls on Billionaires' Row in New York are cool as fuck. Steinway Tower, 432 Park, even that crazy-ass Big Bend proposal -- they're visually striking and make the skyline feel daring and futuristic:
https://i.imgur.com/UUl5WnR.jpg
https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/unnamed-2-777x1125.jpg
The Strokes - Someday: Love the vibe and sentiment, no long awkward instrumentals, and it's well within vocal range which is a big plus.
Jimmy Eat World - The Middle and The Killers - Mr. Brightside: Great fun feel-good crowd energy songs most everybody knows the lyrics to.
Last time I went I was surprised to find Bo Burnham's "Welcome to the Internet" on the playlist. I didn't go for it (too long and a downer), but I do wonder if more tracks will make their way to venues given Inside's streaming popularity.