Promonk's recent activity
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Comment on German chain Aldi bets big on cheaper groceries as US shoppers feel squeezed in ~finance
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Promonk Link ParentIf you do end up giving Remake or Rebirth a try, come back and let us know what you think. I'm curious what someone without all the nostalgic baggage would think of it. The story is very much...If you do end up giving Remake or Rebirth a try, come back and let us know what you think. I'm curious what someone without all the nostalgic baggage would think of it.
The story is very much contiguous between the two, so I'd advise starting with Remake. The pacing in that one is a bit odd, as they stretched what was about four hours of the original game into something like 20-30 hours in the remake, depending on your obsessiveness.
Oh, and bear in mind that the dudes in the black cloaks were in the first game, whereas the ghost-y things in black cloaks are original to the remakes. Seems like that should be explained to someone new to the story.
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Comment on The Dark Tower Wizard in Glass, is the second half better? in ~books
Promonk (edited )Link ParentThat first book of Dune in particular is chock full of pithy aphorisms like that. One that sticks out to me is: "To know a thing well, know its limits. Only when pushed beyond its tolerances will...That first book of Dune in particular is chock full of pithy aphorisms like that. One that sticks out to me is: "To know a thing well, know its limits. Only when pushed beyond its tolerances will its true nature be seen." I don't know as I'd take that as a verity, but God damn if it ain't a great epigram.
Dune is one of those books sort of like the Silmarillion that is super dense and packed with unfamiliar names and vocabulary, which turns a lot of people off early on. Most of the weird vocabulary is there for a purpose though, so it's actually well worth wading through the early flood of strangeness.
One thing that the recent movie adaptations...
Oops. Looks like I hit "post" when putting my phone in my pocket.
Anyway, a perspective that the new movies gave me that I had never really thought of before is that Dune is a story about the difference between fate and destiny. Everyone in the story is entrapped by fate, except Paul Muad'Dib (and later, his son Leto II), who is a man of destiny. Fate is ordained for you, whereas destiny is something a person achieves. Paul is the only character who can fully choose his destiny; everyone else in the universe is along for the ride, more or less.
I don't know what it was about the movies that made that so much clearer for me, but I look forward to revisiting the first book with that in mind.
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Comment on 2025 was a dumpster fire, so I made it into a model | Light-up flaming dumpster sculpture in ~hobbies
Promonk LinkI was reminded of this channel by @cfabbro's post the other day, but didn't mention it for some reason. This guy's videos are maybe a little less edutaining than Something Wicked's, but no less...I was reminded of this channel by @cfabbro's post the other day, but didn't mention it for some reason.
This guy's videos are maybe a little less edutaining than Something Wicked's, but no less whimsical. His compositions remind me of single-panel cartoons in their absurdity, but brought into three dimensions. His narration is a treat, too.
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2025 was a dumpster fire, so I made it into a model | Light-up flaming dumpster sculpture
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
Promonk Link ParentYeah, cold weather can be manageable if it stays bitch-cold and dry. You get nosebleeds and chapped lips, but you can generally manage to get by provided the plows keep running. That's not how...Yeah, cold weather can be manageable if it stays bitch-cold and dry. You get nosebleeds and chapped lips, but you can generally manage to get by provided the plows keep running.
That's not how winter weather works west of the Cascades. We rarely get cold fronts that really blast freeze us, we most often get fronts that chill us down to the twenties/negative single digits at night, warming to the mid-thirties/positive single digits during the day. That means wet, warm snow mixed with freezing rain and fog that then solidifies overnight, melts just enough to get slicker than owl shit during the day, rinse, repeat. In the bigger cities like Portland, Seattle and Tacoma that have hilly terrain we HAVE to more or less shut down and wait it out. It's just too treacherous.
Of course, that doesn't stop transplants and the pathologically stubborn from trying. Hence those viral videos I referred to.
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
Promonk Link ParentI've had to explain this to a friend who moved from Oklahoma to the PNW of the US. He's a very "you think it's bad here, you should see it back home" type of fella, and I had to explain that the...This winter has defeated me though - while we have excellent snow cover, we've had multiple rounds of freezing rain, even when the temp is well below freezing which just doesn't happen here. And just this week we had a 12 hour period overnight where the temp was above freezing so some stuff melted then promptly refroze in the morning when the temp dropped again. So there's just a stupid amount of ice everywhere and that's fucking annoying to run on.
I've had to explain this to a friend who moved from Oklahoma to the PNW of the US. He's a very "you think it's bad here, you should see it back home" type of fella, and I had to explain that the trouble with winter weather here isn't the cold, it's that we constantly vacillate between just sub-freezing and just super-freezing, which turns the world into a treacherous ice rink.
If you've ever seen viral videos of Portland drivers unable to deal with winter weather, that's why: they aren't just incapable of driving in snow (though they are that, too), they're dealing with half an inch or more of solid ice that's melted a bit and refroze a half-dozen times.
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Comment on Consumer Electronics Show 2026 in ~tech
Promonk Link ParentI don't know if this is useful or not, but reps from the company I work for came away from meetings with Nvidia and AMD with plans for two separate price increases this year, one at the end of...Plus there was not confirmation from AMD or Nvidia about rumored GPU price hikes due to tariffs.
I don't know if this is useful or not, but reps from the company I work for came away from meetings with Nvidia and AMD with plans for two separate price increases this year, one at the end of this month and another toward mid-year.
I'm not privy to the reasoning behind these plans, but if I had to guess, I'd wager this month's increase is a correction for the insane prices on memory right now, but the mid-year bump may be based on expectations that manufacturers will raise unit costs. Make of that what you will.
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Comment on The Rainbow Bastard | Sculpting a medieval manuscript demon in ~hobbies
Promonk LinkMan, this hit a few wildly different passing interests of mine: historical religion and esoterica, typographical history, the derivation of dead idioms ("red-letter day"), and watching far more...Man, this hit a few wildly different passing interests of mine: historical religion and esoterica, typographical history, the derivation of dead idioms ("red-letter day"), and watching far more talented people than I turn a pile of nothing into art. It even has just a soupçon of vulgarity sprinkled on top. That was a fun Saturday morning watch, so thanks @cfabbro!
Shame the Bastarda cap isn't available anymore. That's precisely the sort of obnoxious conversation-starting apparel my college roomie and I would have loved back in the day.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Promonk Link ParentI think you're being over-cautious with your spoiler tag, but as I have two cents I want to chip in, I'll play along: spoiler? I think the biggest hurdle with the RC ship is the fixed camera...I think you're being over-cautious with your spoiler tag, but as I have two cents I want to chip in, I'll play along:
spoiler?
I think the biggest hurdle with the RC ship is the fixed camera angle. I understand why they did it that way, as it fits the tech level of the Hearthians better than a remote first-person view would in that situation (the remote probe being able to take only static images and all).
I wouldn't put much credit into it being a conscious narrative decision because I don't think that small bit of the tutorial is really all that impactful. You jump into the big ship immediately after the tutorial and proceed to spend a ton of time navigating it around, so if the scenario writers were trying to heighten tension, they chose an odd feature to stake player goodwill upon. If there is a conscious narrative choice being made by complicating the tutorial, it is probably intended to underscore the "figure it out by yourself" philosophy of game design that's the game's soul.
I'm glad you were able to power through it, though. For its flaws–and it has a fair few–it's a singular experience.
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Comment on You’re 16. You’re a pedophile. You don’t want to hurt anyone. What do you do now? in ~life
Promonk Link Parent(⊙_⊙) <— totally non-judgey perception of DNAF(⊙_⊙) <— totally non-judgey perception of DNAF
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Comment on You’re 16. You’re a pedophile. You don’t want to hurt anyone. What do you do now? in ~life
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Comment on You’re 16. You’re a pedophile. You don’t want to hurt anyone. What do you do now? in ~life
Promonk Link ParentOnce again, you inspire with both your fathomless well of empathy and your fearlessness. Thank you!Once again, you inspire with both your fathomless well of empathy and your fearlessness. Thank you!
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Comment on Reversing the technical interview in ~comp
Promonk Link ParentI think you mean "William Gibson left a comment under the blog post."I think you mean "William Gibson left a comment under the blog post."
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Comment on The 2025 Steam Winter Sale is live (runs Dec 18 - Jan 5) in ~games
Promonk Link ParentI've only ever played it solo, but based on my experience, I'd wager some of the grindy feeling of the mid-game would be alleviated by a division of labor between players. A lot of the grind has...I've only ever played it solo, but based on my experience, I'd wager some of the grindy feeling of the mid-game would be alleviated by a division of labor between players. A lot of the grind has to do with limited carrying capacity and the necessity to personally shuttle materials from the source to point of use, and I expect having some players devote themselves to logistics, some to prospecting and exploration, and some to processing would not only reduce the grindy feel, but lead to big productivity gains.
It should be said that most of my experience with Astroneers was from before the 1.0 launch, and they've done a fair bit of reworking to automation since then. It's possible my analysis is outdated.
I liked the game enough to put a sizable amount of time into it though, and I think it might be a fun multiplayer experience, though I doubt I'll find out since it's not the type of game most of my friends are interested in.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
Promonk (edited )Link ParentYou can also go too far with it if you aren't careful. I have found myself putting up with awful tools for far too long, just because the disposable trial tool stubbornly refused to die. Don't...You can also go too far with it if you aren't careful. I have found myself putting up with awful tools for far too long, just because the disposable trial tool stubbornly refused to die. Don't underestimate the value of a tool feeling good to use, especially if it's one you use a lot.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
Promonk Link ParentHell, it might've been him I cribbed it from. It's also just as likely I did it out of necessity and just backformed the rationale to make myself feel clever. Wherever it came from, it works a treat.Hell, it might've been him I cribbed it from. It's also just as likely I did it out of necessity and just backformed the rationale to make myself feel clever.
Wherever it came from, it works a treat.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
Promonk LinkThis is less what I'd call a "life hack," and more a strategy to approach a class of purchasing scenarios. About a decade ago, I decided to transition careers into electronics repair (really it...This is less what I'd call a "life hack," and more a strategy to approach a class of purchasing scenarios.
About a decade ago, I decided to transition careers into electronics repair (really it was more choosing *a* career rather than transitioning from one to another, but I digress). I didn't really get any guidance from people more experienced in the field, but was instead just kinda of tossed in at the deep end to figure out how to swim on my own.
One particular challenge for me was in figuring out how to build out a toolkit without wasting money on gimmicky tools that sound like great ideas in the sales pitch, but end up being useless or flimsy, or any of the myriad other ways a tool can be a waste of time and resources. I was not financially comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, and simply did not have the resources to lay out more than I absolutely had to in order to do the job, so I was keen to maximize the value of my tool purchases.
So, say some tool or gizmo has caught your eye that you think might help you tackle a type of problem, but you don't know whether it's worthwhile to spring for the expensive, "professional grade" brand, or even whether there actually is a difference between brands with big marketing budgets and the cheap labels you find in the clearance bins by the hardware store registers. The strategy is a little counter-intuitive: buy the cheapest, shittiest version of that tool you can find, at least for the initial purchase. I mean go for the cheesiest, Temu-iest entry in the product category your search leads you to, and then use that until the handle falls off.
It ends up playing out like this: either a.) the tool is conceptually flawed and does not save time or effort, and so you've probably learned something about the entire product category; b.) you find a lot of uses for the tool and you wear it out, in which case you now have a good understanding of what features you want from a replacement and where the most likely points of failure are, and are now well-situated to make informed purchasing decisions; or c.) you use the tool a lot and the cheapo version doesn't wear out, and is essentially every bit as functional as an expensive version would be for a fraction of the cost.
After consciously adopting this strategy, I've realized some surprising things about my tools: oddly, the tools I use the most, the workhorses of my kit, tend to be the tools I've spent the least amount of money on, relatively speaking. In many cases, I've never needed nor felt the desire to replace the cheesy cheapo first purchase. The two or three primary screwdrivers I use day-in, day-out all came from the same $5 set of 10 screwdrivers I bought nearly a decade ago on Amazon, and they barely show any signs of wear despite years of constant use.
The more expensive, specialty tools I've purchased have tended to do the job as advertised, but are so limited in their applicability that even the cheesiest brand holds up for quite a while. When they do give out, it's about an even split whether I even bother to get a replacement, and when I do, about even odds again whether I spring for an upgrade. At that point, no matter what I choose, I know I'm deciding from a place of knowledge and experience, and that's usually worth the price of admission.
It's fair to say that this "strategy" is essentially just how people with limited resources have always gone about shopping for durable, useful goods out of necessity, but I've found that consciously adopting it as a strategy rather than an imposition of circumstance has helped focus my decision-making process, as well as moderate my impulse to buy random stuff, so I thought I'd share it here.
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Comment on Good News Everyone! in ~news
Promonk Link ParentIt can be frustrating as well, especially since the majority of my work has been in repair and diagnostics. But I find immense satisfaction in making broken things work again, so I find it fulfilling.It can be frustrating as well, especially since the majority of my work has been in repair and diagnostics. But I find immense satisfaction in making broken things work again, so I find it fulfilling.
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Comment on PornHub extorted after hackers steal Premium member activity data in ~tech
Promonk Link ParentI've thought about that a fair bit over the years. I have to think there's a better way to fund content creation than advertising, particularly because I don't think there's actually much value to...I've thought about that a fair bit over the years. I have to think there's a better way to fund content creation than advertising, particularly because I don't think there's actually much value to advertising. Like, firms pay for ad impressions, but are they actually getting their money's worth? Is the sheer number of eyeballs on your ad actually a valuable metric for anyone but Google? My hunch is that advertising is just what we've landed on because that was kind of how Old Media worked, and because it's the simplest way for big companies to control and exploit funding channels, so that's what they prefer.
I've considered the possibility of something like a subscription index, where a consumer pays for a suite of subs sort of like the old cable packages, but without the monopolistic skullduggery of the cable conglomerates. The trouble is in first establishing a sufficient library of content options that network effects kick in, and secondly, protecting against the index middlemen exploiting their positions to the detriment of creators and consumers. I like the concept of Nebula because that's more or less how they operate, but I don't know enough about it to judge whether it's been designed with sufficient safeguards.
I do know that Internet advertising is reaching the point where something's gotta give, though. I just started a new job that's led me to viewing YouTube videos without adblock, and it's pretty effing dire, man.
Yes. Aldi Nord operates as Trader Joe's in the US.