LumaBop's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
LumaBop Link ParentYeah the Analogue Pocket looks super cool, but if I was going to spend that amount on a retro pocket-console I think I would favour a screen-modded GBA. The tech in the AP is dope, though.Yeah the Analogue Pocket looks super cool, but if I was going to spend that amount on a retro pocket-console I think I would favour a screen-modded GBA. The tech in the AP is dope, though.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
LumaBop LinkI recently bought a Miyoo Mini Plus, with the main goal being to emulate GBA games on the go. It’s been working great, and I’ve replaced a lot of doom scrolling on my phone with picking up this...I recently bought a Miyoo Mini Plus, with the main goal being to emulate GBA games on the go. It’s been working great, and I’ve replaced a lot of doom scrolling on my phone with picking up this guy instead and playing some Pokemon or other games.
In particular I’ve been playing Pokemon Emerald Seaglass, a ROM hack for Emerald which visually overhauls the game - it looks great! - and adds various QoL improvements, notably a party-wide EXP share available early and running shoes available immediately with an auto-run toggle. I haven’t really played much Pokemon since Gen 6, so it’s been very fun to re-discover the joy of catching Pokemon and collecting gym badges. The fighting gym was a bit rough however given that my two strongest Pokemon when I arrived were Marshtomp and Marill, who both got one-shot by the gym leader’s Heracross. Fair to say I had to do a bit of grinding to get some ‘mons with more favourable types up to a suitable power level.
I’m also playing Goodboy Galaxy, an indie metroidvania released for GBA and Steam in 2024. This game is really cool because it has a lot of modern design sensibilities, as a modern indie game, but runs on a GBA (or GBA emulator in my case). It looks fantastic for a GBA game, the platforming is satisfying, and has a bunch of cute characters! It seems that the main gimmick of the game is exploring the same area multiple times but with different abilities enabled (due to environmental obstacles which disable either your gun, shield, or jetpack). I guess this effectively triples the map size of the game - since the same area visited with different abilities must be explored differently - which seems like a very smart way to expand the game, given that the constraints on overall maps size are probably quite limited due to the GBA.
I’ve also been spending a bit of time with Apotris, which is a very polished Tetris clone. It’s available on many platforms, not just the GBA, but it seems to be a great way to play the classic brick-packing puzzle. As far as I know it supports a bunch of more advanced customisation features, which is probably important for the Tetris experts, but from my perspective it’s just a version of Tetris that feels great to play.
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Comment on Is higher education still valuable? in ~life
LumaBop LinkMost of what I would say to the more general points about value of education have already been discussed, so I will focus in particularly on the question of whether a masters degree in statistics...Most of what I would say to the more general points about value of education have already been discussed, so I will focus in particularly on the question of whether a masters degree in statistics has value in light of advancements in AI.
What we are seeing with AI is that it is very easy for many people to produce work that would previously only be possible for individuals who are skilled or experts in that kind of work to produce. However, the quality of output of these LLMs varies, and only someone who actually understands the domain can evaluate whether the work is good or not. In practice this means that LLMs are used much more effectively in the hands of experts.
In the field of statistics in particular, I think there is a lot of rote work that, it’s true, LLMs will now automate, so seemingly there is less to be done with the skills you might acquire. However, I think that the real value for you is not those things that can be replaced by LLMs, but the nuanced, qualitative aspects. What data should we be looking at? What trends should we be analysing? What biases may there be? I would not trust AI to make good decisions on these except in particularly simple cases.
I think if anything it is more important now than ever for people to have a strong grasp of statistics, as people are frequently overwhelmed with data that is twisted to fit a particular narrative. Good statistics remain extremely important, from training ML models effectively (especially in safety-critical settings), to recommendation algorithms, to understanding national and international politics.
Which is all to say I wouldn’t encourage you to hastily abandon your academic and career plans just because of AI. I wouldn’t make any long term assumptions or plans based on the belief that AI will become hyper-competent and take all our jobs. However, it is reasonable to hedge your bets against that eventuality, if you so choose.
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Comment on Half way through the 2020's. What's your favorite games so far? in ~games
LumaBop LinkI just rolled credits on Hollow Knight, which has allowed me to start playing Silksong, and although I’m only about 10 hours in, this is almost certainly going to be a GOAT for me. HK was great,...I just rolled credits on Hollow Knight, which has allowed me to start playing Silksong, and although I’m only about 10 hours in, this is almost certainly going to be a GOAT for me. HK was great, and it’s a crime it took me so long to get around to playing it, and I like SS more in almost every aspect, especially the world feeling noticeably more alive, and the Wish system creating a feeling of closer connection with the NPCs of Pharloom. The movement in this game is also fantastic, which is always a big factor for me (as someone who mostly likes to play platformers).
I’ve also been playing Rematch, which has been scratching my competitive game itch, especially the hole left in my life since I got out of practice at Rocket League and struggled to get back into it. I really enjoy that Rematch is not too mechanically demanding (in contrast with RL), but still has a very high skill ceiling in terms of positioning, passing and decision making.
I should also mention Thank Goodness Your Here, which was the most amusing couple of hours I’ve spent with a game so far in this decade. I really love games that deliver a great experience in just a short period of time - it feels generous to not ask too much of the player, in terms of time investment, but to deliver a deeply entertaining and memorable experience nonetheless.
Finally I will also mention Mario Kart World, which I have not spent as much time playing as I would have liked, especially due to the unreasonable (in my opinion) effort it takes to avoid frequently playing the (very boring) “intermission” type tracks. However I have spent countless hours listening to the soundtrack, which is absolutely terrific.
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Comment on Meet Pebble Index 01 - External memory for your brain in ~tech
LumaBop LinkThese are copping a lot of flak for being non-rechargeable. I don’t agree that this makes them more disposable / e-waste than other products in the category (which is to say pretty much all modern...These are copping a lot of flak for being non-rechargeable. I don’t agree that this makes them more disposable / e-waste than other products in the category (which is to say pretty much all modern smart devices). Ultimately, many of our modern smart products have a finite lifetime, whether that is due to rechargeable batteries degrading, parts failing or software support being terminated. A non-rechargeable battery makes it very clear that the device will reach EOL within some set time period, and you could reasonably complain about the length of that period, but if people want to invoke sustainability concerns and decry the product as e-waste, you need to take other aspects into consideration. What is the cost impact of manufacturing them this way? How does it impact the materials, in particular rare earth metals? Can we recycle the product more easily? I am not supporting this practice in general, but at the size of this product, the trade offs might actually make sense.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
LumaBop LinkSince all the hype and positive reaction to Silksong, I decided to pick Hollow Knight back up. Not sure why I didn’t finish it when I was playing it originally, but turns out I was pretty close to...Since all the hype and positive reaction to Silksong, I decided to pick Hollow Knight back up. Not sure why I didn’t finish it when I was playing it originally, but turns out I was pretty close to the end of the game (at least the first ending). I’m not aiming to complete it, just to get the true ending, then I can justify playing Silksong!
Yeah, this game is so good. The visuals, soundtrack, and overall atmosphere are top notch, and the combat is terribly satisfying. My main issue with the game is I don’t quite like the feel of controlling the Knight - moving around and platforming in general feels fairly light and floaty, and I find it somewhat unsatisfying. As a platformer fan in general, I suspect this is somewhat of a general Metroidvania problem, in that the movement has to be reasonably optimised for combat, and this comes somewhat at the expense (in my opinion) of the feel outside of combat. But overall I am extremely enjoying my return to this game, and look forward to playing Silksong when I’m done.
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Comment on Microsoft is adding AI facial recognition to OneDrive and users can only turn it off three times a year in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentIf the only facial data that’s uploaded is encrypted, then it doesn’t really matter since it is theoretically garbage unless you have the encryption key. Which is only the user, not Apple, if you...If the only facial data that’s uploaded is encrypted, then it doesn’t really matter since it is theoretically garbage unless you have the encryption key. Which is only the user, not Apple, if you have advanced data protection on.
But I agree that I find saying “it’s not the X, it’s a mathematical description of the X” vaguely useless, technically speaking everything in your computer is mathematical descriptions, that’s all that we can do since everything is a number at the bottom. I was recently trying to understand the term biometric template which is basically the same thing again. Feels unnecessarily confusing.
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Comment on Is 67 just brain rot? in ~humanities.languages
LumaBop Link ParentThat’s fair, I think there are good aspects to it. Really what I was trying to say is that increased communication across cultural, political and geographical boundaries has many benefits, but...That’s fair, I think there are good aspects to it. Really what I was trying to say is that increased communication across cultural, political and geographical boundaries has many benefits, but it’s not good if it results in homogenisation.
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Comment on Is 67 just brain rot? in ~humanities.languages
LumaBop LinkI learned about this meme from The Guardian, which makes me feel really old. I guess it’s 4/5 years since I’ve actually known what’s going on in meme culture. I won’t comment on 6-7 itself because...I learned about this meme from The Guardian, which makes me feel really old. I guess it’s 4/5 years since I’ve actually known what’s going on in meme culture.
I won’t comment on 6-7 itself because it’s really hard to assess these things from the outside. @papasquat compared it to “E” which seems apt.
What is interesting to me is that 6-7 seems to be part of a wider trend of cultural homogenisation. Every English speaking country, even English speaking international schools around the world, seems to be witnessing this meme. If the internet and online culture really are resulting in a convergence of speech, thought and opinions across the world, this could be a problem. It seems like now more than ever what we need is a true diversity of thought in order to solve the difficult problems facing the world.
On the other hand, if such a homogenisation really is happening, it may be a good thing for increasing fellowship and solidarity across the world. Cosmopolitanism is a good thing.
Rant: when I was at school (not so long ago), we had our own homegrown jokes and memes, our own way of seeing and interacting with the world. It seems like different people and groups had their own slice of the world and culture that they came into contact with and took into their own lives. You can think of it like a Venn diagram.
I’m not suggesting that now kids all have the exact same experiences, but if the Venn diagrams are overlapping more (as some trends like 6-7 seem to suggest), then it’s a double edged sword. On the one hand they have more in common, and this is generally a good thing. But then there are more experiences being missed out on, or perhaps to put it another way, they may be missing experiences which would inform their own unique worldview. And that would be a pity - but I’m jumping to conclusions, since there is no serious evidence that that is the case. /rant
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Comment on Prince Andrew gives up UK royal titles including Duke of York after 'discussion with King' in ~news
LumaBop Link ParentYes, he is still a Prince. Technically he still owns his Dukedom as this would require either an act of parliament or a royal decree to revoke. He will also continue to live at his royal home (the...Yes, he is still a Prince. Technically he still owns his Dukedom as this would require either an act of parliament or a royal decree to revoke. He will also continue to live at his royal home (the Royal Lodge), but this is separate from the rest of the family.
So, this is very significant action. It pretty much amounts to being kicked out of the royal family. He wouldn’t even be able to attend the next coronation in person. Still, a lot of people will feel he deserved worse. It seems pretty unfair he gets to retain his luxurious royal home, in particular.
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Comment on How can I combine several ranked lists into one mega list? in ~comp
LumaBop LinkCombining lists is (generally) pretty straightforward, so you should be able to do it without getting your hands too dirty. The important question is what do you mean by “combine”? Do you want to...Combining lists is (generally) pretty straightforward, so you should be able to do it without getting your hands too dirty.
The important question is what do you mean by “combine”? Do you want to combine the lists sequentially, or interleave them, or something else?
By combining sequentially, I mean the result is: all of List A followed by all of List B followed by all of List C, etc.
By interleaving I mean: each 1st item followed by each 2nd item followed by each 3rd item, etc.
Also, do you need to programmatically ingest the lists to be sorted? If so, it would be useful to know what format the lists are in at the moment.
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Comment on My take on Apple's Liquid Glass in ~tech
LumaBop LinkI have an iPhone 12 and a 2021 MacBook Pro. I haven’t noticed the performance issues the author describes - Tahoe has been smooth since spotlight finished indexing, and my phone has not gotten...I have an iPhone 12 and a 2021 MacBook Pro. I haven’t noticed the performance issues the author describes - Tahoe has been smooth since spotlight finished indexing, and my phone has not gotten noticeably worse since the update.
Surely the new animations are wasteful in terms of performance and battery, but I think we can allow this sort of thing as technology progresses. I wonder if reducing transparency and motion would noticeably improve performance?
It definitely depends on taste. I mostly like Liquid Glass, but Tahoe sucks compared to iOS 26. It’s really inconsistent and this makes it much more distracting - plus the bugs. Really hope we get a lot of improvements soon through updates.
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentIt’s weird - was having a small play around with it earlier. Strangest one is that the sound control in the menu bar vs control centre is completely visually different and has functional changes -...It’s weird - was having a small play around with it earlier. Strangest one is that the sound control in the menu bar vs control centre is completely visually different and has functional changes - you can’t adjust the volume in the menu bar widget by swiping/scrolling like used to be possible, but you can if you go in control centre. Very weird and annoying.
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentI’m also largely on board with the design, but the lack of polish is real. My biggest visual annoyance is with swipe actions in Mail - the corners of the message will randomly be either rounded or...I’m also largely on board with the design, but the lack of polish is real. My biggest visual annoyance is with swipe actions in Mail - the corners of the message will randomly be either rounded or squared. They will awkwardly snap back to being rounded after a second, but it looks really ugly.
macOS Tahoe is even worse in terms of visual inconsistency and lack of polish, but that’s probably a conversation for a different thread.
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Comment on Disabling Auto-Zoom in the YouTube app (iOS) in ~tech
LumaBop LinkDoesn’t fix it happening automatically (which sounds very annoying), but can you use a pinch gesture zoom out?Doesn’t fix it happening automatically (which sounds very annoying), but can you use a pinch gesture zoom out?
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Comment on How can England possibly be running out of water? in ~enviro
LumaBop LinkTurns out private water companies have no financial incentive to improve infrastructure, so we lose trillions of litres a water a year to leaks and build zero new reservoirs. I think the real...Turns out private water companies have no financial incentive to improve infrastructure, so we lose trillions of litres a water a year to leaks and build zero new reservoirs. I think the real question isn’t how can we be running out of water, but how has it taken this long?
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Comment on Germany legal case alleging adblockers violate copyright in ~tech
LumaBop Link ParentI assume that major browsers would comply by delisting adblockers from their official extension stores. That would be enough to prevent 99% of users from accessing them. They would probably have...I assume that major browsers would comply by delisting adblockers from their official extension stores. That would be enough to prevent 99% of users from accessing them. They would probably have some legal means to also pursue the maintainers, or at least hosts of open source projects - GitHub would probably comply with lawful requests to take down or geo-restrict access to repositories.
This is often the issue: in principle these laws shouldn’t be enforceable, but often due to our reliance on particular gatekeepers, it is enough if the relevant government can convince that entity to comply with their requests.
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Comment on Germany legal case alleging adblockers violate copyright in ~tech
LumaBop LinkHow ridiculous. A browser must process the HTML/CSS provided in order to render it, and the way in which it does so is subject to variation, and in particular may be modified to the user’s...How ridiculous. A browser must process the HTML/CSS provided in order to render it, and the way in which it does so is subject to variation, and in particular may be modified to the user’s preference. Should we say that when a website tries to use a feature which is deprecated, and the browser thus ignores the relevant code, the browser is performing an illegal modification to copyrighted code? Perhaps we should say that when a compiler optimises a program, it illegally modifies the source the code?
Of course, a court of law will never consider these things because they do not understand how technology works.
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Comment on How can we fix UK universities? in ~life
LumaBop Link ParentVery interesting. I’ll have to give that talk a look!Very interesting. I’ll have to give that talk a look!
Definitely playing some of those once I’m done with Seaglass, especially Unbound seems to be raved about by everyone in the ROM hacking community.