Pistos's recent activity

  1. Comment on Would anyone be interested in an online gardening club? in ~hobbies

    Pistos
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    I'm an absolute beginner. In the past, I managed to kill a peace lily, despite trying to keep it healthy. For several months now, I have been trying to maintain a couple of orchids at least long...

    I'm an absolute beginner. In the past, I managed to kill a peace lily, despite trying to keep it healthy. For several months now, I have been trying to maintain a couple of orchids at least long enough to see a second blooming.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on What’s your preferred work monitor setup? in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    I have a [very nice] 4k in between two old 1080p HDs. They are arranged as though on 3 sides of an octagon, i.e. angled 45 degrees from one another. Some sizeable proportion of the time, the two...

    I have a [very nice] 4k in between two old 1080p HDs. They are arranged as though on 3 sides of an octagon, i.e. angled 45 degrees from one another. Some sizeable proportion of the time, the two side monitors are not in use, but, when I do want them, they are nice to have. Main work happens in the central 4k, of course, but sometimes I want things in the periphery, available to be glanced at without mouse or keyboard input. A few such uses:

    • multi-document work
    • video chat
    • video editing (work in center, preview on side)
    • sports (usually baseball, a very "backgroundable" sport)
    • presentation editing (work in center, slideshow on side)
    • gaming: have Discord, wikis, etc. on side monitors
    • gaming: the rare game can support multi-monitor, such as Euro Truck Simulator 2 (multi-monitor driving is fun!)
    • gaming: can have a game console connected on another input of one of the side monitors

    That said, once in a rare while I will use just the central monitor (with the other two off). Sometimes to focus; sometimes to reduce strain on the GPU (some games restrict themselves to just one monitor better than others); sometimes simply to reduce heat generation in the room.

    If I need to bring a laptop into the picture, it can sit right on the desk, and cover only maybe the lower third of one of the monitors. A kind of "three and a half monitors" situation.

    To your other point, multiple monitors don't seem to lower my productivity, at least not in any way that I notice.

  3. Comment on Device that can extract 1,000 liters of clean water a day from desert air revealed by 2025 Nobel Prize winner in ~enviro

    Pistos
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    I wonder if this can have any kind of impact on weather, whether negatively or positively, intentionally or unintentionally.

    I wonder if this can have any kind of impact on weather, whether negatively or positively, intentionally or unintentionally.

    10 votes

  4. Comment on Tell me about your favourite web-based logic puzzles! in ~games

    Pistos
    Link
    I enjoyed Euclidea back in the day. Start playing here. Interactive geometric puzzles.

    I enjoyed Euclidea back in the day. Start playing here. Interactive geometric puzzles.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Looking for vibe-coding guides (best practices, etc.) in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link
    First, I don't vibecode in the sense of "never look at the code", but, I do use Claude Code a lot. I found this article enlightening: https://addyosmani.com/blog/ai-coding-workflow/ It's a bit...

    First, I don't vibecode in the sense of "never look at the code", but, I do use Claude Code a lot. I found this article enlightening: https://addyosmani.com/blog/ai-coding-workflow/ It's a bit long, but you can skim headings, then cherry-pick what to read in depth. My own personal notes and tips:

    • For all but the smallest things, I first converse with Claude to collaborate on a plan. I'll start with "let's do <medium sized task>", then describe the problem or task, and include technical info (this feature is in this class in this file, in this method or at this line number), and mention restrictions or guidelines. I go back and forth with Claude until we agree on a specification which includes the problem description, design choices, deferrals, and some high- to medium-level implementation details. I have it write this agreed-upon spec out to file for future reference (for both it and me). I refer to these non-code files by name when relevant to a given task, with the intention of preventing Claude from having to scan files and think about the problem again.
    • Then, I'll give Claude some leash, and have it go ahead and implement, not more than a couple hundred lines at a time, with me code reviewing each chunk, and either approving or rejecting with a prompt (to guide how it should try again). The spec doc ensures I'm rarely surprised by what directions it goes in, or what it churns out.
    • It usually writes good stuff, but occasionally doesn't, in which case I use my Software Engineering skills, knowledge, and experience to hone rough spots, guide it back onto the tracks, etc. I code review everything it writes, and understand at least 95% of it myself. When I really don't understand something that it wrote, I tell it that I don't understand, and ask it either to explain, or rewrite in a simpler way (because, even if I don't understand the chunk of code, I do understand the problem spec, and what the chunk ought to do). I take responsibility for what I commit, including code written with AI assistance.
    • I make heavy use of the so-called Claude "memory" files (CLAUDE.md). ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for cross-project instructions, ~/projectdir/CLAUDE.md for project-specific stuff. The former is much bigger, because it makes sense to be consistent in all your work across all projects. In ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, I have three levels of instructions: 1) global rules that apply to every task; 2) coding-specific rules; 3) language-specific rules
    • I have linting configuration in most projects (.rubocop.yml, eslint.config.js, etc.), and, in CLAUDE.md, I explicitly reference these. Between CLAUDE.md, the lint configs, and your existing code, I've found that Claude is very good at following your personal style, preferences, and conventions. Whenever it doesn't, I just add a new rule to CLAUDE.md. Sometimes it surprises me by following existing conventions in ways that I did not explicitly tell it to. It "does as the Romans do".
    • I do different tasks in different conversations. This way, Claude's context doesn't get "cross-contaminated" with things it doesn't need to consider for the task at hand. Some people use /clear, but I prefer to exit out (of the Claude Code CLI), and restart. Each such conversation gets an id (which you can /rename if you want), in case you want to resume later. I try to keep the task size/challenge medium-sized at most. I'm not too ambitious with how much I challenge it in one undertaking, half because I don't trust it yet, and half because I want to understand its output.
    • I walk a balance on the line between "keep correcting it with prompts" and "accept its imperfect code, and edit it myself". The judgement is about saving time and tokens (of which there is a limited amount per time window).
    3 votes

  6. Comment on I built a space simulation that runs in the browser and it feels good enough to share it now in ~space

    Pistos
    Link
    Fun discovery: Going full screen (F11) was immersive.

    Fun discovery: Going full screen (F11) was immersive.

    3 votes

  7. Comment on I built a space simulation that runs in the browser and it feels good enough to share it now in ~space

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Great! I know this project must be a fair bit of work for you, but I'll admit that one of the next thing I was looking for was a way to specify time granularity down to the the minute. i.e. to...

    Great! I know this project must be a fair bit of work for you, but I'll admit that one of the next thing I was looking for was a way to specify time granularity down to the the minute. i.e. to look at the positions of everything as of right now.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on I built a space simulation that runs in the browser and it feels good enough to share it now in ~space

    Pistos
    Link
    Well done. I think a neat feature would be to show our solar system at the current datetime, maybe updating in real time. Then, also allow travelling around to an arbitrary datetime in history, or...

    Well done. I think a neat feature would be to show our solar system at the current datetime, maybe updating in real time. Then, also allow travelling around to an arbitrary datetime in history, or the future, and playing from there. I also noticed Earth's moon repeatedly causing a solar eclipse, heh.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on Why doesn’t Anthropic use Claude to make a good Claude desktop app? in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I find it's pretty good at: (a) one-time instructions to clean up as per your judgement and guidance, and (b) following general guidelines that you put in CLAUDE.md, etc. Meaning to say, the...

    I find it's pretty good at: (a) one-time instructions to clean up as per your judgement and guidance, and (b) following general guidelines that you put in CLAUDE.md, etc. Meaning to say, the undesirable behaviours and outcomes can be sculpted and steered to where you want, for the most part.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Why doesn’t Anthropic use Claude to make a good Claude desktop app? in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I've used Claude Code for about a month now (so, including the state of the art last fall, and including the improvements of the recently-released 4.6 models from Anthropic). What I've found is...

    I've used Claude Code for about a month now (so, including the state of the art last fall, and including the improvements of the recently-released 4.6 models from Anthropic). What I've found is that part of developing your skillset is honing your judgement on when and how much to get AI to write code versus you writing it. It's a similar decision as deciding whether it's faster for you, as a senior developer, to write it yourself, or have a junior take a stab at it, and you code review and iterate with the junior. Oftentimes, it's: junior takes a stab, you iterate with them for a while, but then take the reins and finish the home stretch yourself.

    6 votes

  11. Comment on I switched my gaming PC to Linux, and this time I think it's for good in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Honestly, I've gamed on Linux+Steam for 4, 5 years, and not once have I needed to use GE.

    Honestly, I've gamed on Linux+Steam for 4, 5 years, and not once have I needed to use GE.

    4 votes

  12. Comment on Group chat solutions for small groups? in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    Other than Signal, self-hosting XMPP is not that hard. That gets you, as a baseline, basic text chat, both 1:1 DMs, and chatrooms. If you add extensions, you can get file sharing, voice calls, and...

    Other than Signal, self-hosting XMPP is not that hard. That gets you, as a baseline, basic text chat, both 1:1 DMs, and chatrooms. If you add extensions, you can get file sharing, voice calls, and video calls, I believe.

    7 votes

  14. Comment on Looking for audio recording advice in ~hobbies

    Pistos
    Link
    Some good nuggets of advice in the comments already. I'll just reinforce a few points. I co-hosted a podcast in the past (39 episodes), and do live audio regularly, and (amateur) recorded audio...

    Some good nuggets of advice in the comments already. I'll just reinforce a few points. I co-hosted a podcast in the past (39 episodes), and do live audio regularly, and (amateur) recorded audio from time to time.

    • Soft surfaces vs hard surfaces is true, but I think you can get away with having the treatment closer, rather than further, so you can save money (less surface area to treat). I think a mic enclosure would do the trick. In my case, though, I ended up not needing much treatment because my recording room was soft enough, and...
    • ... keeping your mic closer means you can decrease gain ("input volume") and still be able to pick up your voice. If your mic is further, your mic has to "work harder" (need more gain) to pick you up properly -- but then you are also picking up a larger sphere of sound (like the reverb) with more sensitivity.
    • Reverb is the appropriate term here. Echo means a repetition of the sound, like when shouting in a canyon ("Hello... ello... llo... lo..."). Reverb is technically repetition, too, but at a much higher rate, such that the human ear and mind perceive it as extra ambient sound together with the original sound.
    • For your reverb problem, I don't think mic choice matters as much as placement (bring the mic closer). You could get proper a pop filter or windscreen, but DIY solutions like a double-sock layer work in a pinch. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a good mic, but you may be able to get away without spending more just yet.
    • As mentioned, a DAW is what can take care of a lot of issues after you've sorted the physical side of things. Reaper has been recommended, but I use Ardour, which is free and open source. It supports several common plugin formats, which means hundreds of plugins are available to you. Of note:
    • noise suppression (not noise gate, mind you). This was a game-changer for any constant, ambient noise, such as HVAC, or computer fans. You train it on a few seconds of your recording where you're not talking, and it intelligently reduces or eliminates that same noise in the parts where you are talking.
    • apply your basic plugin stack, including stuff like: gate or expander, high pass filter, eq, compressor, limiter.
      You can do some self study about what each of those is. If you do end up using Ardour, I can tell you exactly the plugin stack I used for my podcast.
    1 vote

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Pistos
    Link
    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Love the game. I finished the main storyline in about 260 hours (!). That sounds alarming, but I'm thinking one could hurry along and avoid most side quests, and just...

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

    Love the game. I finished the main storyline in about 260 hours (!). That sounds alarming, but I'm thinking one could hurry along and avoid most side quests, and just focus on the story line, and maybe complete it in under 200 hours. Comparing to KCD1: I estimate that I finished KCD1's storyline in about 150-160 hours, including side quests. So, KCD2 this has a lot more content; and I'm still playing it, doing more side quests and DLC content. Given the length of this playthrough (and I'm not even done), I suspect I won't do another playthrough. A fair bit of the fun in KCD2 was the surprises in the storyline, so, without the surprise factor, it'll feel odd (knowing what will come, or what decision branch is better). That said, trying other decision branches, or succeeding at stuff I failed at in this first playthrough may prove rewarding. I'll see.

    This series is a steal if you can get either KCD1 or KCD2 during a Steam discount. I got the KCD2 Royal Edition (base game + all DLC) for like 30 to 40% off. I think any RPG fan can easily get 300+ hours of enjoyable playtime from the series.

    KCD2's story was quite good, though nothing mind-blowingly life-changing or anything. Towards the end it was feeling like it was creeping a bit into "this is taking too long" territory, but then the story wrapped up. It ran the gamut of exercising the different skills and mechanics in the game, and (micro spoiler...) there were plenty plot twists and surprise events and outcomes. I've heard it said that this game explores darker themes, and, with the moral dilemmas it presents the player, I think it certainly delivers. Several tough choices, and some scenes are still vivid in my memory.

    KCD2 provides several welcome QoL improvements over KCD1, including being able to switch loadouts in like 2 keypresses, and having a few potions at-the-ready, and usable during combat with hotkeys.

    The combat system is still mostly what it used to be (so whether you love it or hate it, you'll probably keep your sentiment), though they changed the master strike mechanic a bit to require a bit more skill (not a lot more, though). It makes it more interesting. Minor spoiler: I think poison in KCD is a bit OP. It's inexpensive to make or get, and really tilts odds in battle.

    As I'm up at or near max stats, I feel like the game has become a bit too easy, even in Hardcore mode. I don't feel threatened any more except in the most dire combat situations. I can easily take on 3 opponents at once; more if I can use archery and/or horseback riding. Skill checks (e.g. convincing during a conversation) are almost always passed now, too. I would prefer they kept the game more challenging even at higher levels. Perhaps a trade-off system where getting good at one thing hinders progress in another thing. Money is also no longer an issue at this point, as I know the good farming spots, and don't have much need to spend on big ticket items any more, since I have most eq that I need.

    I still have at least 2 more DLCs to dive into. The forge DLC seems quite worth it, to me, because it lets you have a home location with many convenient amenities. I've grown fond of it (the in-game home/property), and wonder how inconvenient it would have been not to have had it as I completed the game.

    Overall, two thumbs up. Highly recommended to any 3D RPG fan, especially if you like history (this game is very history-rich).

    2 votes

  16. Comment on Want to get in the gym? Here are some tips from a beginner.* in ~health

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Learning technique can be done from YouTube and websites, but you have to try to judge the source, because there are videos out there that can sound authoritative, but can teach you harmful...

    Learning technique can be done from YouTube and websites, but you have to try to judge the source, because there are videos out there that can sound authoritative, but can teach you harmful technique. This problem seems to be exacerbated with the advent of AI slop sites.

    Example: When I first started out, I was doing barbell squats. The source I was learning from did not say anything about whether or not to bounce at the bottom (or I think maybe he even said it was okay), so that's what I did for maybe a year or two. Eventually, my lower back had pain and problems. I believe this is because of the bouncing at the bottom of a squat, which stretches and strains the lower back and knees. Now, I believe the proper range of motion for a squat is to go just below thighs parallel to the floor, then come back up. This stops the motion before it can stress the knees and lower back. Also, this gets back to my point in my previous comment about cheating to get bigger numbers. (Little to no muscle work contributes to the extra force provided by the bounce.)

    If you have health coverage, look into visiting a physiotherapist for advice about a workout program. Physios are covered by most insurance, I believe, so it won't cost you much, especially if you don't go too many times in a year.

  17. Comment on Want to get in the gym? Here are some tips from a beginner.* in ~health

    Pistos
    Link
    Just wanted to underscore this. I'm no expert, but I have experience both based on seeing results, and from doing rehab to recover from injuries, both from a single incident/accident, and from...

    The movement is more important than the weight

    Just wanted to underscore this. I'm no expert, but I have experience both based on seeing results, and from doing rehab to recover from injuries, both from a single incident/accident, and from long-term poor form (from either exercising itself, or just daily life, like desktop computer use).

    Without expert(ish) advice, it's easy for a newbie to just fling around weights any which way, with no thought to technique. However, you're cheating yourself if you use bad form or technique, because you're getting help to launch the weights to the target heights, and the muscles you should be building to lift the weights are not getting fully engaged (and so are not getting built as much as they could).

    Example: overhead press. It's very easy to unthinkingly hike the barbell or dumbells over your head by using your knees (a sort of "micro jump"), but then you're not working your shoulders and arms as much as they should, because your legs are "stealing" some of the workload away. So, numerically, you might have gotten N pounds over your head, but your shoulders and arms didn't actually fully achieve that.

    Example: standing dumbell curls. You can certainly get higher weight up in the air if you swing the dumbells and use the momentum to help it up, but, again, your biceps are not getting all the workout they could be because the actual resistant force (coming from gravity) is less due to being stolen/reduced by the swing momentum.

    Not to mention the injury risks from having a heavy weight yank your limbs beyond a natural range of motion, or undergo sudden stress/strain; or the risk of unintentionally recruiting weak, small, or non-target muscles to overwork when the correct muscles for the exercise should take most of the workload.

    It's really helpful to learn from an expert about the proper form and technique for the exercises you do. In my case, it was physiotherapists (whom I cannot endorse enough -- they are rockstars that really know the human body).

    9 votes

  18. Comment on Good News Everyone! in ~news

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    That... is quite the underestimation! Do tell how you misjudged your performance by that much, ha.

    That... is quite the underestimation! Do tell how you misjudged your performance by that much, ha.

    12 votes

  19. Comment on Elite Dangerous discussion in ~games

    Pistos
    Link
    A while ago, I played a lot. (Steam says 784 hours). I was mostly into the PvP political/territorial aspect of the game. I liked it, but, eventually, I lost interest because there didn't seem to...

    A while ago, I played a lot. (Steam says 784 hours). I was mostly into the PvP political/territorial aspect of the game. I liked it, but, eventually, I lost interest because there didn't seem to be an end to it all. Gain ground, lose ground; cycle again and again. I'd rather there were some stopping point, such as determining a winner for the month, or the quarter. Same reason I stopped playing Guild Wars 2. Always new things to acquire or craft, materials to gather, money to make, cosmetics to buy, stats to improve -- but no end.

    I guess I've changed over the years. I'd sink hundreds of hours into a game, having fun just in the repetitions ("one more Battlefield match"). Now, I want a game with a conclusion, a point at which I'm done, and can put the game down, and move on to something else. I just don't have interest any more in a game that extrapolates to infinity.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I think the mixed reviews come from people stuck on certain expectations. For example, I think some people expect "arcadey" combat. I think KCD's combat mechanics are unique (though I've never...

    I think the mixed reviews come from people stuck on certain expectations. For example, I think some people expect "arcadey" combat. I think KCD's combat mechanics are unique (though I've never played medieval battle sims like Mount & Blade or For Honor), so you have to learn the system and practice with it before finding success.

    To your other point: KCD2 certainly has several UX/QoL improvements, but KCD1 is still very playable without them, and is a landmark game in its own right, IMO.

    1 vote