psi's recent activity

  1. Comment on Should I stay or should I go now? in ~lgbt

    psi
    Link Parent
    The article specifically refers to moving to another country, so I thought you were advocating for people in Florida immigrating abroad. Apologies for the misunderstanding.

    The article specifically refers to moving to another country, so I thought you were advocating for people in Florida immigrating abroad. Apologies for the misunderstanding.

    6 votes

  2. Comment on Should I stay or should I go now? in ~lgbt

    psi
    Link Parent
    I mean, yes, that's my point. If someone is trans but lacks specific highly-demanded skills, they're going to struggle to obtain a visa. It's rather myopic to assume that all LGBT folk living in...

    Getting the visa is that hardest part though, obviously, Ave that's not a problem for moving between states.

    I mean, yes, that's my point. If someone is trans but lacks specific highly-demanded skills, they're going to struggle to obtain a visa. It's rather myopic to assume that all LGBT folk living in red states will have the means or capability to immigrate abroad; their first priority should be moving anywhere else (if immigration is an option, all the better).

    10 votes

  3. Comment on Should I stay or should I go now? in ~lgbt

    psi
    Link Parent
    Moving abroad is infinitely more challenging than moving across state lines, though. If someone doesn't have the means or skills or whatnot to move from a red state to a blue state, then there is...

    Moving abroad is infinitely more challenging than moving across state lines, though. If someone doesn't have the means or skills or whatnot to move from a red state to a blue state, then there is virtually no chance that they'll be able to move to Europe.

    Edit: But yes, a list like the author's would be useful for determining if one should move from a red state to a safer one.

    9 votes

  4. Comment on Is there a way for Donald Trump to run for US presidency for a third time? in ~society

    psi
    Link Parent
    Yup, that's the ambiguity I was referring to. That interpretation strikes me as pretty silly (obviously the reason for the restriction on election is to prevent service -- why would only election...

    Yup, that's the ambiguity I was referring to. That interpretation strikes me as pretty silly (obviously the reason for the restriction on election is to prevent service -- why would only election be sacrosanct?), but I agree that we shouldn't depend on this court interpreting the Constitution in good faith.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Is there a way for Donald Trump to run for US presidency for a third time? in ~society

    psi
    Link Parent
    This proposal seems like it would be in contradiction to the 12th Amendment, which demands in part: But there does seem to be some ambiguity regarding their interplay.

    Have someone run at the top of the ticket with Trump as VP with the stated intention of resigning so he can take office. It's that simple.

    This proposal seems like it would be in contradiction to the 12th Amendment, which demands in part:

    [N]o person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

    But there does seem to be some ambiguity regarding their interplay.

    14 votes

  7. Comment on Elden Ring Nightreign | Reveal gameplay trailer in ~games

    psi
    Link Parent
    Sure, but the "in that regard" refers to the play duration and the shrinking map. Honestly I took that parenthetical as a throwaway line serving only as a setup for a joke ("more medieval forts...

    Sure, but the "in that regard" refers to the play duration and the shrinking map. Honestly I took that parenthetical as a throwaway line serving only as a setup for a joke ("more medieval forts and knights, and considerably less TikTok dances"), not as a serious comparison. Fortnite is better known for its live-service elements and its PVP battle royale game mode, neither of which are featured in this spinoff. The author could have just as easily compared the game to PUBG, but I wouldn't have considered that a particularly accurate description, either.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Elden Ring Nightreign | Reveal gameplay trailer in ~games

    psi
    Link Parent
    I'm not sure that "Elden Ring Fortnite" is an accurate summary of that video, or at least, that's not the impression I had from watching it. The only similarities to Fortnite appear to be the...

    I'm not sure that "Elden Ring Fortnite" is an accurate summary of that video, or at least, that's not the impression I had from watching it. The only similarities to Fortnite appear to be the relatively short sessions (~45 minutes, assuming you make it to the level 3 boss) and the gradually shrinking map. But that seems to be it? Fromsoftware is promising that it won't be a live service game.

    I imagine this game will play more like Warhammer: Vermintide II or (co-op) Dead Cells. Of course, these both differ greatly from the Elden Ring, but Fromsoftware has proved itself capable in non-Soulslike genres too, most recently Armored Core VI.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on Elden Ring Nightreign | Reveal gameplay trailer in ~games

    psi
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I think dismissing the game as an asset flip is a little reductive. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the highest rated games of this year, and it is quite literally an asset flip [1] (for...

    I think dismissing the game as an asset flip is a little reductive. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the highest rated games of this year, and it is quite literally an asset flip [1] (for the matter, so was Majora's Mask, which is considered one of the greatest video games of all time). The development cycle for AAA video games is already too bloated, and expecting developers to recreate assets from scratch exacerbates that issue for very little gain.

    Ultimately, what will decide the success of this game is whether it's fun. This game is essentially a hack-and-slash rougelike(/rougelite?) with Dark Souls roots. Considering the popularity of both the roguelike and Soulslike genres, this game seems like a pretty safe bet.

    Personally, my concern is whether the game will be fun playing with randoms, since I expect (like many others) that it could be hard to coordiante a session with friends. Alternatively, here's to hoping there's a (balanced) solo option.

    1. "A Japanese crime game series wins hearts with kind, heroic masculinity." The Washington Post.. Excerpt below:

    The secret to “Like a Dragon’s” distinctive style, its creators say, comes from the studio’s workflow. Unlike other game studios that ramp up budgets and work time for a few complicated games, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio releases many titles covering one story. (Compare RGG’s seven new games since 2018 with Rockstar Games, which has released only “Red Dead Redemption 2” in that time.)

    “If you take a ‘GTA’ or ‘Assassin’s Creed,’ those companies’ big marketing copy is ‘Oh, a new city with completely new gameplay,’ and they almost reinvent a large portion of the game,” said RGG Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama through an interpreter. “Most games these days aren’t necessarily upgrades of the previous as much as they are complete reboots.”

    RGG Studio has achieved its steady output by recycling work from previous games, including years-old animation cycles. Most games revolve around the fictional Tokyo district of Kamurocho, modeled after the real-life Kabukicho area, allowing repeated use of textures of buildings and streets.

    “We take on an approach that builds on the previous version,” Yokoyama said. “That comes more from a drama or movie type of development, linear media content. ... I don’t think many companies are doing this with video games. I would argue it’s probably only us.”

    8 votes

  10. Comment on Policy Window: A surprising lack of discussions regarding healthcare policy reform in ~society

    psi
    Link
    Even before the slaying of Brian Thompson, my Trump-supporting family members would've told you that the healthcare system is broken; but that doesn't mean they would support Medicare-for-All --...

    Even before the slaying of Brian Thompson, my Trump-supporting family members would've told you that the healthcare system is broken; but that doesn't mean they would support Medicare-for-All -- I'm sure they would reflexively reject it, regardless of whatever argument you could muster. We're paralyzed by our polarization, and until that is addressed, I doubt we'll have bipartisan agreement on any major policy issue.

    So to answer your question:

    What can we do from a grassroots perspective to push for regulatory reform while this is still fresh in the public eye?

    You won't get much pushback from the left, so you would need to infiltrate conservative media bubbles. That would mean somehow building your credence among conservatives while simultaneously pushing a (traditionally) progressive policy position. There are small things you could do -- for example, talking with conservative family members about the benefits of Medicare-for-All without referring to it as such -- but to effect change on a large scale there needs to be systematic changes in the media ecosphere. Unfortunately, I doubt a grassroots campaign would be effective at engendering such change.

    Alternatively, one could propose amendments to state constitutions which would guarantee the right to healthcare. This seems to be a pretty effective method for achieving policy goals when there is a mismatch between voters and political leadership (e.g. abortion rights). That said, I see at least a couple issues: (1) healthcare is expensive, and I doubt a state could cover the costs; (2) universal healthcare is a highly polarizing issue, so you would somehow need to promote it while rebranding it as something else.

    5 votes

  11. Comment on On moving for grad school in ~life

    psi
    Link
    I went to graduate school (physics), and I have a few friends who went to graduate school in other fields (medicine, pharmacy), so I have a pretty good impression of what graduate school entails....

    I went to graduate school (physics), and I have a few friends who went to graduate school in other fields (medicine, pharmacy), so I have a pretty good impression of what graduate school entails. I will reiterate what others have said: it's hard to give advice without knowing what field you plan on studying and what your goals are -- advice for being a physicist differs greatly from advice for being a pharmacist! Though you did mention a 4-year professional degree program, so I assume you mean something like a lawyer or pharmacist.

    Regarding location:

    • You can't really know a place without having lived there. I'll take you at your word that the place has a reputation for being "cold to outsiders", but after living there for a few years, will you really still be an outsider? Unless you're moving to another country with a different culture and language, I'm sure you'll manage just fine blending in.
    • It's worth bearing in mind that you will probably spend the majority of your time with your fellow graduate program colleagues, who will be more or less in the same situation as you.
    • Depending on the program, you will likely be taught material specific to the state in which you will be licensed. Of course this doesn't prevent you from obtaining a qualification to practice in another state, but it does mean you will have to prepare independently for a licensing exam in another state.
      • This isn't a big deal for something like medical school, where you'll be expected to move for your residency after graduating anyway, but it's certainly less convenient if you plan to practice pharmacy or law, for example.
    • Ideally you don't want to be so far away that you can only rarely visit your friends or family.

    Regarding timing:

    • There are things you can do to better prepare your application for the next cycle. There are things you can do that seemingly better prepare your application for the next cycle but in reality have little impact. I will assume that you are in the former category, but I'd also caution you not to overestimate your changes in the next application cycle. Perhaps there is some blemish of your resume that can't be easily fixed (a low grade in an important subject, for example?). You know better than I.
    • As others have said, we can't predict the future. Maybe DOGE will suggest drastically cutting federal funding for your profession, reducing the available slots for your graduate degree. Of course this is unlikely to happen within the span of the year, but many unlikely things are unlikely to happen within the span of the year, and that CDF of misfortune will conspire against you eventually.

    Regarding programs:

    • What is your end goal? I am sure there is someone here who has already studied the field you're interested in and who has a better grasp of the lay of the land than you or I. Without more specificity, I don't think anybody can give you some useful advice as to whether the program itself is worth it
    • But in lieu of useful advice, let me give you some general advice:
      • If you want to be an academic, your choice of advisor will be the most important factor. A school might be considered middling by most standards but still have the world's foremost expert in the field you're interested in. (But from my experience, you probably won't know who's who in your field until you've neared the completion of your program.)
      • Depending on your goals, the pedigree of the program might be very important. You'll have a much easier time clerking for the Supreme Court as a graduate of Harvard than as a graduate of Ohio State.
      • On the other hand, if you just want to be licensed, then the pedigree of the program is largely irrelevant. Work experience (including when obtaining your degree) will trump everything else.
    5 votes

  12. Comment on Great shows with a truly satisfying ending? in ~tv

    psi
    Link Parent
    Neat, thanks for sharing!

    Neat, thanks for sharing!

    1 vote

  13. Comment on Oatly loses right to call its drinks ‘milk’ in landmark UK ruling – lexical dispute with trade body Dairy UK argued slogan ‘Post Milk Generation’ was misleading to consumers in ~food

    psi
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    But at some point it's really the buyer's fault for their carelessness, no? To take your Silk NextMilk example from another comment: the packaging emphasizes three times that the product is...

    But at some point it's really the buyer's fault for their carelessness, no? To take your Silk NextMilk example from another comment: the packaging emphasizes three times that the product is dairy-free (twice labeling it "plant-based", once outright stating as much). Heck, even the name "Silk" should evoke some suspicion that it's not a dairy product. Probably the most suggestive aspect of the packaging would be the black and white spotted pattern, imitating those of a cow. But that's not exactly deceptive, is it? In my experience, most milk cartons are plainly presented, not decorated.

    I mean, to give a mundane example, I once almost purchased regular chicken nuggets when I had intended to buy the vegan sort; it was only once I was at the check-out line that I realized I grabbed the wrong bag. It's not like there was anything misleading about the meat or the vegan product -- I was just so accustomed to buying the vegan alternative that I zoned out for a minute and forgot the meat kind existed. I wouldn't elevate a moment's forgetfulness into an argument that either product should be renamed (e.g. "MEAT chicken nuggets"?).

    10 votes

  14. Comment on Great shows with a truly satisfying ending? in ~tv

    psi
    Link Parent
    What religion was this, if you don't mind me asking?

    What religion was this, if you don't mind me asking?

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of November 25 in ~society

    psi
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/25/trump-tariffs-china-mexico-canada-percent/ As an aside, I am quite amused by the idea that Mexico and Canada -- both of which suffer immensely...

    Under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which took effect in 2020, goods moving among the three North American nations cross borders on a duty-free basis.

    “Obviously, unilaterally imposing a 25 percent tariff on all trade blows up the agreement,” said [John Veroneau, a former trade negotiator under President George W. Bush and] a partner at Covington & Burling in Washington.

    As an aside, I am quite amused by the idea that Mexico and Canada -- both of which suffer immensely from the illicit flow of fentanyl across their borders -- have the "power to easily solve this long simmering problem" (Trump's words), whereas the US is powerless and must resort to tariffs.

    4 votes

  16. Comment on Former Dallas PD officer ordered to pay $100 million in ~news

    psi
    Link Parent
    "[H]e who will be his own Counsellour, shall be sure to have a Fool for his Client." - William De Britaine, 1682.

    "[H]e who will be his own Counsellour, shall be sure to have a Fool for his Client." - William De Britaine, 1682.

    8 votes

  17. Comment on Valve is possibly making a Steam Controller 2 and a ‘Roy’ for its Deckard in ~games

    psi
    (edited )
    Link
    I owned a Steam Controller, but eventually I gave it away. Unfortunately, the innovation that made it great for PC gaming -- the touchpads -- made it terrible for normal controller use, as the...

    I owned a Steam Controller, but eventually I gave it away. Unfortunately, the innovation that made it great for PC gaming -- the touchpads -- made it terrible for normal controller use, as the addition of those trackpads came at the expense of having a left d-pad and a right joystick.

    If Valve could make a controller with touchpads without removing the joystick/d-pad, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Fortunately, they have -- it's the Steam Deck! Now Valve just needs to strip out the processing components and make it a bit more ergonomic.

    Also, since people are looking for a replacement to the OG Steam Controller: when I researched this question a while back, the closest thing I could find to the Steam Controller (other than the Steam Deck) was the DarkWalker ShotPad. However, the controller is truly weird: it lacks symmetry, having more buttons on one side than the other; the button labels correspond to PC keys, not controller keys; and the behavior of the left and right triggers are swapped, with the Shotpad taking inspiration from the left-click of a mouse instead of the right-trigger of a controller. In short, like the Steam Controller, the ShotPad leans heavily into PC gaming at the expense on functioning like a regular controller.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Is there a site where I can check if a game has multiple endings or missable stuff without spoilers? in ~games

    psi
    Link
    I think reddit is pretty good for this. Just google something like "[game] reddit beginners tips".

    I think reddit is pretty good for this. Just google something like "[game] reddit beginners tips".

  19. Comment on The year’s smartest game asks: Is civil democracy just a fantasy? in ~games

    psi
    Link Parent
    Rest assured, you're not dumb. It's a regular article, but the Washington Post now requires (free) accounts to access gifted articles. Here's an archive link.

    Rest assured, you're not dumb. It's a regular article, but the Washington Post now requires (free) accounts to access gifted articles. Here's an archive link.

    11 votes