Loopdriver's recent activity
-
Comment on My guess and opinion on the common blockers to Linux adoption in ~tech
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Loopdriver Link ParentI felt in love for Sekiro. It was a soul game that really pushed me out of the comfort zone. Tell me what u want about dark souls, but at the end of the day, with the levelling and the shield,...I felt in love for Sekiro. It was a soul game that really pushed me out of the comfort zone.
Tell me what u want about dark souls, but at the end of the day, with the levelling and the shield, there are no really hard encounters.
If things get tricky... you level up a bit, you use the shield, and you are good. But not in Sekiro, where skill matters for real.Funny story.... when i reached the last boss, I watched a ton of videos where they told u it's very difficult and showed you how to cheese him.
... I tried those methods a lot of times... never managed to take him to half of his health bar.
So i decided to use the skills learnt during the game... killed him at the 5th try.
I suppose there is a lesson here... -
Comment on Hollow Knight: Silksong will cost $20, releases Thursday at 7 am PDT/10 am EDT in ~games
Loopdriver LinkHollow Knight is a wonderful game I lost myself into... back in the days. I am very surprised by the price of silksong because I thought they were going to put a bigger tag, considering the hype...Hollow Knight is a wonderful game I lost myself into... back in the days. I am very surprised by the price of silksong because I thought they were going to put a bigger tag, considering the hype and the weight of its name.
... so my idea was to wait for a discount in a year or two... now I am not more sure anymore... could it be the game I will buy on day one?
-
Comment on Humble Choice - July 2025 in ~games
Loopdriver LinkNeo Cab is an intriguing game. I would describe it as a sort of visual novel cloud punk.... only that you do not really drive and most of the story unfold during the different conversations you...Neo Cab is an intriguing game. I would describe it as a sort of visual novel cloud punk.... only that you do not really drive and most of the story unfold during the different conversations you have with your customers.
Not really long (5 hours maybe...?) and absolutely not re-playable because of the twists of the story... and that is quite sad because you won't be able to talk to everyone just in one run.Anyway... it's 2 euros in steam right now. At that price I absolutely recommend it. Inside the full batch of the humble bundle... I dunno.
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June/July 2025 in ~games
Loopdriver Link ParentI'd take "call of cthulhu" with pleasure and ease you burden :) I love the work of lovecraft and I really like to see how the myth has been implemented in different games ... for what I've read...I'd take "call of cthulhu" with pleasure and ease you burden :)
I love the work of lovecraft and I really like to see how the myth has been implemented in different games ... for what I've read this game looks quite cool :) -
Comment on You're going to use Gemini on Android whether you like it or not in ~tech
Loopdriver LinkNaive question: is it deployed in the same way in Europe or, thanks to GDPR, users must give a specific consent? Because the idea that you just give Google the ability to read everything in your...Naive question: is it deployed in the same way in Europe or, thanks to GDPR, users must give a specific consent? Because the idea that you just give Google the ability to read everything in your phone, even inside proprietary apps "that boost e2e cryptography" doesn't sound right...
-
Comment on Reddit in talks to embrace Sam Altman's iris-scanning Orb to verify users in ~tech
Loopdriver LinkSuggestions for the countries that want to push age verifications... do not simply say you want that, give also the solution they may have to implement. Otherwise, more often than not, the...Suggestions for the countries that want to push age verifications... do not simply say you want that, give also the solution they may have to implement. Otherwise, more often than not, the solution found and pushed by social media and other sites won't be ideal and well and well attuned to your legislation.
-
Comment on Why handwriting matters in ~humanities.languages
Loopdriver LinkGen x here. I write notes everyday because I find that the simple act of writing stuff down on paper helps me to retain information. More over, even if it is way slower than typing (and I can be...Gen x here. I write notes everyday because I find that the simple act of writing stuff down on paper helps me to retain information. More over, even if it is way slower than typing (and I can be quite fast for I had a class about how to use typewriters back in the days...) it is flexible, I can write sentences, then switch and draw something, then put a side note, etc... I know u can do something similar with an app but the flow is not really good.
Said so, while I have learnt how to write cursive (actually that was the way you were expected to write during the tests or when you made your homeworks) I have seen that I really suck at that nowadays... I can be incredibly fast at writing letters in cursive but then I struggle to understand what I wrote if I try to read me back after a couple of days...
So maybe... the youngsters are not wrong :) -
Comment on Seeing infrared: scientists create contact lenses that grant ‘super-vision’ in ~science
Loopdriver Link ParentThat would be really useful too. There are a lot of uses... Only inside your house, wanna see where the electric cables are inside your walls when you are hammering a nail? Put on the lenses and...That would be really useful too. There are a lot of uses... Only inside your house, wanna see where the electric cables are inside your walls when you are hammering a nail? Put on the lenses and voilà :)
Were you always curious about where the hot water pipes run? Thermal vision! :)
Is your remote broken? Strap on your infrared goggles and see if cast the ray. -
Comment on Google's new AI video tool floods internet with real-looking clips in ~tech
Loopdriver LinkEventually as these tools are adopted some people will not pursue their passion into a career... because they will just think "why bother?". Like a self fulfilling prophecy these tools will be...Eventually as these tools are adopted some people will not pursue their passion into a career... because they will just think "why bother?".
Like a self fulfilling prophecy these tools will be used because they are good enough, cheap... and because some people will have just give up deleting the human alternative. -
Comment on Fiction with great “plot devices” in ~misc
Loopdriver LinkI'd add TALES FROM THE LOOP to the bucket, a show hosted on amazon. More or less in every episode there is a particular gizmo that gives the characters special abilities (they can swap their minds...I'd add TALES FROM THE LOOP to the bucket, a show hosted on amazon. More or less in every episode there is a particular gizmo that gives the characters special abilities (they can swap their minds and live each others lifes, stop the time, travel in another dimension, etc)... from there the show delves more on the consequences and the way everyone reacts. Its a really good show.
-
Comment on Fiction with great “plot devices” in ~misc
Loopdriver Link ParentOuter wilds is a videogame about exploration and a grand solar system wide mystery that you must solve in order to see the ending(s). The main character (you) is given the ability to reset the...Outer wilds is a videogame about exploration and a grand solar system wide mystery that you must solve in order to see the ending(s).
The main character (you) is given the ability to reset the time once is dead... which happens a lot not only because of your mistakes but also because the sun becomes a supernova after 22 minutes you started to play. So you are basically trapped in a loop unless you break it in the end.
One of the best games out there IMHO. -
Comment on WordSafety: check a name for unwanted meanings in foreign languages in ~humanities.languages
Loopdriver LinkTested it out writing the term "bara" (rose/s in japanese) into the box. The site says it is probably safe. Good... that is a nice name for a brand new city car. Ah by the way... "bara" means...Tested it out writing the term "bara" (rose/s in japanese) into the box.
The site says it is probably safe. Good... that is a nice name for a brand new city car.Ah by the way... "bara" means "coffin" in Italian :)
-
Comment on What are everyone’s favourite pens and stationery items? in ~creative
Loopdriver LinkI fell in love with the Muji fountain pen. In the beginning not so much because I found the design of its cap quite strange but it grew on me. The nib is soft, it is very sturdy cause it had an...I fell in love with the Muji fountain pen. In the beginning not so much because I found the design of its cap quite strange but it grew on me. The nib is soft, it is very sturdy cause it had an aluminium body and I can pair it with the staendler mechanical pencil because their grip are really similar.
The only downside is that Muji doesn't sell it where I live :/ -
Comment on Star Trek: Section 31 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
Loopdriver LinkCool... :\ ...I am trying to guess where "star trek" fits into this. Maybe it's just me getting bitter but all these movies look a lot like a clone of each other. Strong girl at the lead... check....Cool... :\ ...I am trying to guess where "star trek" fits into this.
Maybe it's just me getting bitter but all these movies look a lot like a clone of each other.
Strong girl at the lead... check.
Shrewd jokes... check.
Soft dystopian worlds... check.
Flickering lights... check.
Punches against laser guns... check. -
Comment on The Electric State | Official teaser in ~movies
Loopdriver LinkIt is not what i expected. The book is grim and sad... here you have the son of Transformers and Zombieland (i mean the vibe it gives me...). My gosh....It is not what i expected. The book is grim and sad... here you have the son of Transformers and Zombieland (i mean the vibe it gives me...). My gosh....
-
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~food
Loopdriver LinkIf i can add my point of view, Italians ain't really lamenting about the increasing price of the coffee from a mere economical point of view and neither about a vague sense of culture...If i can add my point of view, Italians ain't really lamenting about the increasing price of the coffee from a mere economical point of view and neither about a vague sense of culture disappearing.
I try to explain a little bit more what I mean.
Sometimes I read about the loss of the so called third places. Places that aren't home or workplace and where people get to know each other (like churches, libraries, etc.).
The bar is most likely the main third place for the italians. And the cheap coffee espresso is probably the conduit that makes it possible.
At the bar you start to know your workmates, at the bar you meet your friends, if your boss wants to talk with you he takes you to the bar and offers you a coffee, if it's your birthday you gather everyone at the office and offer them an espresso at the bar... you got the gist... This culture, this social aspect of Italian life that orbits around the espresso, is so ingrained that if you make a favour to someone probably his answer is not only "thank you" but also " I own you a coffe" meaning that next time he'll take you out in a bar and your coffee will be on him, so you can also talk and you will know each other more.
Some companies have a coffee break because they also know it helps to have more cohesive groups. They go out, socialise and during the working hours release a bit of steam.
When the Italians say coffee is like bread they don't mean the drink... because they can always put a moka on the stove and consume a cup of coffee at home. And believe it or not.... they do it too. They mean that if the espresso gets expensive they will lose the ability to socialise in the same way they are doing now.
And that hurts more their hearts than their wallets.It's not about the cost of the coffee, it's about having a place where to meet and talk.
-
Comment on Addressing the cause of collapsing fertility: status in ~life
Loopdriver Link ParentI wasn't trying to suggest a solution to the problem... i just wanted to write down a couple of draft of examples that could tackle the issue using the "status" as their pillar. ...instead of...I wasn't trying to suggest a solution to the problem... i just wanted to write down a couple of draft of examples that could tackle the issue using the "status" as their pillar.
...instead of something completely off rails like the original author :) but i digress.I agree with you that the example wasn't ideal even if i was thinking something like "if you have children you have a better understanding on how kindergarden or school should be run..." or stuff like that and i really didn't think through how it could be unfair torwards some people if implemented. Because that was not the point i wanted to make.
Anyway I think that the author doesn't want to suggest that having children make someone worth more per sè but that in the society we live in:
- you compete for higher status
- usually you get status if you have economic success
- but to have success you have to sacrifice something
- and usually people don't have children because they are a burden to reach success/status (and rising children isn't seen as a success)
So he suggests that maybe there is a way to increase the fertility rate making the role of parent "cool" for society, a status that people can crave to get.
But trying to answer you I am also asking to myself, though, if there is really a way to find a solution to the problem using the "status" in a non-zero sum game.
I mean... can we really rise the status of a group A without lowering the status of a group B? Just like economically we can't invest our money to solve a problem without slashing the budget on other issues. -
Comment on Addressing the cause of collapsing fertility: status in ~life
Loopdriver LinkI have to say that the article is quite interesting and I agree that most of the stuff we do is driven by status once the most basic needs are satisfied. Even if sometimes we don't call it status...I have to say that the article is quite interesting and I agree that most of the stuff we do is driven by status once the most basic needs are satisfied.
Even if sometimes we don't call it status but with other names...Anyway, what i find quite strange are the proposed solution. I feel there is a dissonance there... He keeps on talking about status and how it plays a very important role in our life, so much so that i can help or disrupt the fertility rate. But his solutions don't align with this hypothesis, he seems to more interested to keep the enclosed, isolate communities doing their stuff. Something like "western civilisation is doomed so we need to preserve some niches where our culture is forbidden so they can have 7 children per family".
If status is so important and (inside this piece) we agree that we should leverage that to increase the fertility rate how come the solution is something like "less education" instead of something like "if you have a child you get an automatic promotion or a raise" / "when you have a child you have more power to drive the society so that only you can vote for some issues within the communities"? ...or stuff like that...?
...or am i missing something?
-
Comment on Looking for adventure(-ish) games to play alongside my 8 years old in ~games
Loopdriver Linki usually play with my 12 years old kid after dinner and here are the games we have played and he really enjoyed: 1 . point and click games (monkey island 1, 3, the last one and the one from tale...i usually play with my 12 years old kid after dinner and here are the games we have played and he really enjoyed:
1 . point and click games (monkey island 1, 3, the last one and the one from tale tale - darkside detective - really funny and not scary at all - all the sam and max games, the original one from lucasart and the tale tales/skunkape remastered)
2 . the long dark - it's very slow but he likes the challenge. usually i move the character while he gives me assistance using maps we have printed of the different region... then we decide where to go, what to do, etc.. sadly on the switch is a bit hard because the transition between outside and inside the different houses takes time.
3 . road 96 - he really like the story, it was like an interactive movie, there aren't scary moment but there a moment with a lot of tension.
4 . kingdom two crowns. it's beautifully crafted, nice tunes and you can both play--- from nintendo
- super mario wonder - you can both play the game, it's very interesting the "wonder"mechanics that completely change the way you play the level
6 . mario party (i don't play this with my son but he deeply likes it)
7 . paper mario (both of them)
- super mario wonder - you can both play the game, it's very interesting the "wonder"mechanics that completely change the way you play the level
i dunno... i give you two cents on the topic. Brace yourself, it's going to look a lot like a "old man yells at clouds" rant.
Recently i have decided that i wanted a new laptop. Actually i decided i wanted a laptop - full stop - because the only one i have is literally broken and unusable considering it's just too old to run anything beyond windows xp.
So I started to look for a new machine and i decided i wanted to use linux because i kind of hate windows 11. I have it on my desktop that i use as a gaming console (i turn it on, fire steam... and that is it) and despite this fact i feel i'm not in control. Every now and then i have to go to the settings and turn off (again) some parameters or it just breaks something with its updates (recently Steam stopped to be be launched as soon as the machine is turn on and now i have to wait 1 minute... and i have not idea how to fix it, maybe i will have to just reinstall the os...). So I thought... let's use linux...
...after all my needs are basic. I need something to surf the internet, be able to watch videos, listen to the music, use a word processor. Really basic stuff. I didn't need anything super powerful either because i didn't plan to play anything on that. And i do not use special programs.
And because of this i wanted this laptop to be cheap.
So I started to look on Amazon, Ebay, the local electronics shops and i have made a bit of research to see if i were lucky enough to find a laptop with linux pre installed... because i thought that it would have been better than installing it myself. The idea was that if someone "professional" chose a particular distro for that machines... maybe it was because it was 100% compatible? I also thought that maybe it would have been cheaper because you don't pay for the windows license.
Dunno... I am naive, i know.
The result are depressing at least. I would say that 100% of the laptops out there are windows machines or chromebooks. And are expensive as hell for what they offer (most of them "cheap ones" at least).
I would say that the laptops can be sorted in two groups... on a side you have machines that are good enough to run tests at NASA and CERN, with GPU so powerful that probably the town lights flicker when you plug them into the electric socket. On the other side you have garbage you are lucky enough if they are able to run firefox with a couple of tabs opened.
I eventually decided that nothing suited me, so I have bought a refurbished laptop on ebay, a model I was uhm.... mostly confident was compatible with linux, at least the main distros.
It was shipped with a windows 11 on it, because... naturally :)
First thing i did was to make a clean install of Fedora 42.
I don't open the terminal for anything, install what i need from the software store, update the machine from there too... install some eye candies for Gnome and uhm... this is is. I'm writing you with that. I'm pretty happy with what i have and i'm pretty sure most of the people out there with basic needs like mine wouldn't care their laptop has linux, windows or potatoOS as long as it works, it's fast and it doesn't break.
But my story has a twist... I can look for infos out there, i can decided i want linux, look for the different distros and pick the one i like the most without being mentally freezed by the choice (and the problem with linux is that are simply too many choices)... and install it because i know how to create a bootable usb, boot the pc from the usb and press 10 times the continue button during the installation process.
Most of the people with needs similar to mine just want to click the order button on the online shopand they're perfectly happy with anything that is shipped to them.
They - i guess - would buy a linux computer but... it's simply not out there for them. Not at a fair price anyway. They can discover (maybe) some vendor but i don't know why linux pc / laptops are sold as they are "special". They focus on upgradability, materials, compatibility, power, etc... all good stuff but at the end of the day this means the target of the possible customers is a niche of people that would have been able (as me) to install linux... but they chose to buy a pre-installed machine because it looked way cooler.
The majority of people don't even know system76 is out there and even if they knew why should they choose this vendor instead of lenovo, hp, etc... for them it sounds strange more or less like the unknown brands on Ali express.
So... long story short. For linux to be vastly adopted we need a vendor (a big one) with a line of cheap, reliable laptops / pc that are sold to normal people with basic needs. After a while programs will come to them too because there is enough critical mass to pull the interest of the software houses.