MimicSquid's recent activity
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Comment on Binance suspends withdrawals after crypto hackers steal $6.3 billion in ~tech
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Comment on Finland launches criminal investigation into Google's clearing of forest for data centre site in ~enviro
MimicSquid Link ParentAh, yes. I was seeing them say 330 hectares (815 acres), and was getting mixed up in the various units of area.Ah, yes. I was seeing them say 330 hectares (815 acres), and was getting mixed up in the various units of area.
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Comment on Finland launches criminal investigation into Google's clearing of forest for data centre site in ~enviro
MimicSquid (edited )Link ParentSo because Google illegally cut down an acreage of forest equivalent to 85% of the entire annual national clear-cutting... what? EDIT: So wrong on units of measurement for area. Why are there so many?So because Google illegally cut down an acreage of forest equivalent to 85% of the entire annual national clear-cutting... what?
EDIT: So wrong on units of measurement for area. Why are there so many?
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Comment on Europa Universalis V: Across The Pillars | Release trailer in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentI don't know what's going on with Paradox as a studio. The only remaining game of theirs that seems to still be doing well is Hearts of Iron, with Crusader Kings trailing behind. Something in...I don't know what's going on with Paradox as a studio. The only remaining game of theirs that seems to still be doing well is Hearts of Iron, with Crusader Kings trailing behind. Something in their vision or formula broke, and it doesn't look like it's getting fixed.
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Comment on Popular fanfic site "Archive of Our Own" (AO3) down for 2-4 weeks in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentThink about the trove of blackmail available for any bad actor who was able to link someone's AO3 reading habits to the rest of their life. Plenty of people read things they wouldn't want shared...Think about the trove of blackmail available for any bad actor who was able to link someone's AO3 reading habits to the rest of their life. Plenty of people read things they wouldn't want shared publicly, and I wouldn't be surprised if this attack was for that sort of purpose. Just look at the aftermath of the Ashley Madison leak.
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Comment on Contender for the most non-viable startup: Reflect Orbital in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentClouds are water vapor and/or ice crystals that have reached a height where it's cold enough for it to start to condense but not yet combine into droplets or crystals large enough to fall. A...Clouds are water vapor and/or ice crystals that have reached a height where it's cold enough for it to start to condense but not yet combine into droplets or crystals large enough to fall. A heat/light beam wouldn't burn the cloud, but it would disperse its mass through targeted heat, and that's close enough for most people.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid LinkI've been playing Probably Stolen, a dystopian shopkeeper sim. It's well done, with a good bit of complexity to it that unfurls at the player's preferred pace. You start out buying low and selling...I've been playing Probably Stolen, a dystopian shopkeeper sim. It's well done, with a good bit of complexity to it that unfurls at the player's preferred pace. You start out buying low and selling high, and then you get a furnace so you can turn scrap metal into shoddy but slightly more valuable ingots of metal, and then you get a battery recharger so you're not having to buy new batteries all the time, and then the demand for fresh water rises, so you buy some basic water filters to buy ditchwater and make it barely potable, and then you turn your profits into better water purification and analysis sensors so you can sell your water at a mark-up, and then you've got so much water you can't sell it, so you branch out into hydroponics and aquaculture, and then you've got more raw food than you can sell so you start cooking, and start growing some recreational plants, and then start making various refined recreational drugs, but security doesn't like that, and so you've got to manage their opinion of you and balance it against the opinions of the other factions, and all of this while the rent is going up, and power is getting more expensive, and the local janitorial mafia is turning the screws on you because you tried to save money by scrubbing your own storefront... and... and... and...
The systems are so interconnected and reinforcing, the mechanics enjoyable, and the art style and UI solid. It would be overwhelming if not for the fact that there's no time pressure. If you want to spend 10 minutes rearranging your water purification setup while someone waits to buy a bottle of water, you can do that.
I highly recommend it.
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Comment on Songs of Syx is a hidden gem that nobody talks about – here's the dev story, the lore, and why it's so complex in ~games
MimicSquid Link ParentSignificantly.Significantly.
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Comment on Contender for the most non-viable startup: Reflect Orbital in ~tech
MimicSquid LinkSomething I don't know whether people have considered; This network of satellites is essentially a directed energy weapon against anything else in orbit. It's non-destructive, but also satellites...Something I don't know whether people have considered; This network of satellites is essentially a directed energy weapon against anything else in orbit. It's non-destructive, but also satellites aren't necessarily designed to handle a lot of extra energy being pumped into them. Even if it's a temporary disruption while the cooling systems resolve the situation, being able to turn off other people's satellites on command is the sort of power pretty much monopolized by the largest powers.
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Comment on Denmark has quietly ended its Collabora pilot, halting a major effort to replace Microsoft software and achieve greater technological independence in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentAbsolutely. And notably I think that some on the right would be/are perfectly fine with sham elections, if they can make them turn out how they want them to. I just don't think that we're yet at a...Absolutely. And notably I think that some on the right would be/are perfectly fine with sham elections, if they can make them turn out how they want them to. I just don't think that we're yet at a point where they can make that work on a national scale. Hopefully the upcoming elections turn out in a way that lets us roll back their influence. Even if there is a "blue tsunami", the next two years will be full of work shoring up the rule of law and making sure that our representatives don't rest on their laurels for even a moment.
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Comment on Denmark has quietly ended its Collabora pilot, halting a major effort to replace Microsoft software and achieve greater technological independence in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentI'm not saying "it's impossible" and then resting on my laurels. I'm saying that, while he has some power in this situation, he's not the only actor to have desires and preferences, and the...I'm not saying "it's impossible" and then resting on my laurels. I'm saying that, while he has some power in this situation, he's not the only actor to have desires and preferences, and the incentives of basically everyone else in government push towards having elections.
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Comment on Denmark has quietly ended its Collabora pilot, halting a major effort to replace Microsoft software and achieve greater technological independence in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentIf republican states cancelled their elections and democratic states didn't, it would mean that there would be no new Republicans in Congress. The terms of the outgoing congresspeople end before...If republican states cancelled their elections and democratic states didn't, it would mean that there would be no new Republicans in Congress. The terms of the outgoing congresspeople end before the new ones begin. So republican states refusing to hold elections just hands all the power to Democrats.
Sure, it's easy to say "what if he breaks things?" But most of the damage he's done has been with the help of a compliant and passive Republican Congress, and they won't help him strip their own power by cancelling the elections that put them in power.
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Comment on Denmark has quietly ended its Collabora pilot, halting a major effort to replace Microsoft software and achieve greater technological independence in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentTo be fair, most people will never search for a simple answer to their problems. Most people, they'll stop at the first issue, assume the software is wrong or broken, and start complaining loudly...To be fair, most people will never search for a simple answer to their problems. Most people, they'll stop at the first issue, assume the software is wrong or broken, and start complaining loudly rather than attempting to troubleshoot. Ideally, people will push through their ignorance to find knowledge but we don't live in an ideal world and i expect the opposite: resistance.
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Comment on Tildes exclusive: the Ethoscore Project in ~creative
MimicSquid Link ParentI would be interested in taking a look.I would be interested in taking a look.
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Comment on Tildes exclusive: the Ethoscore Project in ~creative
MimicSquid Link ParentA system that is less numerical will absolutely keep people from assuming precision that doesn't exist. Colors or the Angry / Sad / Neutral / Happy / Delighted faces/emoji range will give people...A system that is less numerical will absolutely keep people from assuming precision that doesn't exist. Colors or the Angry / Sad / Neutral / Happy / Delighted faces/emoji range will give people the vibe they need without thinking that a specific number should mean something you think it means.
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Comment on Denmark has quietly ended its Collabora pilot, halting a major effort to replace Microsoft software and achieve greater technological independence in ~tech
MimicSquid Link ParentBarring actual US military turning people away at every polling station (something punishable by 5 years in prison for everyone involved), there's no way for Trump to "cancel" an election. The...Barring actual US military turning people away at every polling station (something punishable by 5 years in prison for everyone involved), there's no way for Trump to "cancel" an election. The elections aren't administered by the federal government at all. They're administered by the states. Trump would like you to think he could cancel an election, and for you to talk worriedly about his power to do so and what if he does, but unless all the states individually decide to roll over and obey Trump, there's no "cancelling" an election.
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Comment on The journey of donating a body to science in ~science
MimicSquid Link ParentBoth of my parents signed up to have their bodies donated, though I wasn't involved in setting it up. One donation has already happened. My mother had ALS, and decided on the date of her death, as...Both of my parents signed up to have their bodies donated, though I wasn't involved in setting it up. One donation has already happened. My mother had ALS, and decided on the date of her death, as we live in a place that believes in the personal freedom to decide when a medical condition is intolerable. So we just let the university know the expected window for pickup. Once she had passed and everyone had said their goodbyes, we called and her body was picked up within 15 minutes.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MimicSquid LinkI picked up a survival crafting game called The Last Caretaker, knowing very little about it. It's still in early access, and definitely contains some rough edges, but the core loop of it feels...I picked up a survival crafting game called The Last Caretaker, knowing very little about it. It's still in early access, and definitely contains some rough edges, but the core loop of it feels really good. You play as a robot sailing the ocean and salvaging stuff, and that sounds like a game you've played a thousand times. This ine is different. The sailing feels like actual sailing, and maintaining and expanding your boat feels great. In choppy seas, the ship rocks as you walk, and you do feel the fear of going overboard. You can set the tiller and the throttle and then step away from the wheel if you need to; the ship doesn't stop because you let go of the wheel. It feels ponderous. Parallel parking a boat isn't an instantaneous affair, so it feels less like a boat-themed video game and more like you're moving something with a lot of mass. It's not perfect, but it feels good to play. And being a robot means that you're always keeping an eye on your battery. You, like everything else, need juice to survive. But when you need to keep the lights, the recycler, and the fabricator running on top of your own needs you can start to feel the squeeze. There can be downsides from having a unified resource that does everything, but when it's power it makes sense and feels good.
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Comment on Mink farming will end in Denmark by August 2029 after the government decided to drop plans to pursue an exemption to an EU-wide ban on the practice in ~enviro
MimicSquid Link ParentYes, but not by the corporation whose business practices started it. That's the definition of a negative externality. It's a side effect of a business practice that the company lets other people...Yes, but not by the corporation whose business practices started it. That's the definition of a negative externality. It's a side effect of a business practice that the company lets other people deal with rather than paying for the mitigation of the problem. Pollution is the classic example.
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Comment on Mink farming will end in Denmark by August 2029 after the government decided to drop plans to pursue an exemption to an EU-wide ban on the practice in ~enviro
MimicSquid Link ParentPandemics from factory farming are just another negative eternality for businesses to let other people suffer.Pandemics from factory farming are just another negative eternality for businesses to let other people suffer.
Yeah. What is anyone going to do to North Korea? They've got the nukes, and so everyone gives them latitude that other nations don't get. It's not like they're going to be more of a pariah.