PuddleOfKittens's recent activity
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Comment on What randomizers have you tried and what interesting runs have you had? in ~games
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Comment on The Tiny Soapbox: a platform for small, low-stakes rants in ~talk
PuddleOfKittens LinkDear people in the northern hemisphere: Stop saying "it'll be this summer!". Seasons are a subjective period. Sincerely, The southern hemisphereDear people in the northern hemisphere:
Stop saying "it'll be this summer!". Seasons are a subjective period.
Sincerely,
The southern hemisphere -
Comment on Nintendo President on the new Switch 2, tariffs and what's next for the company in ~games
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentIt's not just because the market grew, it's also because costs fell - Steam takes 30%, sure, but 1) AIUI that includes tax plus a bunch of ancillary services that Steam provides, and 2) physical...It's not just because the market grew, it's also because costs fell - Steam takes 30%, sure, but 1) AIUI that includes tax plus a bunch of ancillary services that Steam provides, and 2) physical retail cost roughly 40% all up, so in practice it's a 10% reduction in cost.
Where it goes off the rails is when people start implying that, if $80 is not too much for Mario Kart, that you are like "betraying" consumers by buying it. It's inherently subjective. There's no such thing as a price something "SHOULD" be.
The price "SHOULD" be slightly above what it costs to make the game, plus a risk premium and a small profit margin. This would normally be enforced by marketplace competition. Of course, videogames are weird because they're 1) not fungible, and 2) zero marginal cost. Nonetheless, I would point out that normally there is quite an objective criteria of what prices "SHOULD" be (assuming risk is able to be objectively determined).
While the market size might be plateauing, I think there's a far bigger problem: studio sizes are ballooning like crazy. There are real games whose studio size numbers over 500. That's insane. In contrast, the team for Doom was 5 people (possibly 6 or 8).
But, why are studio sizes ballooning? Mostly for the graphics. Games need to look good for marketing, and 1) the hardware isn't doubling in speed every year anymore, and 2) when we can push 10 000x the polys, then placing the polys is a whole lot more work, and you can throw more people at it.
And specifically, the games need to look good for people who aren't playing the game because that's what determines if someone buys the game. So it's not even necessarily about making the game better.
The problem here is that "throw more artists in for marketing" is an arms race. It's only limited by what your identical competitor can afford. It encourages making big game projects (one $80 game instead of four $20 games) with insane graphics, and because the project is big that means it can't be risky (innovation is risky BTW). Which makes it lean all the more on its graphics.
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Comment on New plastic dissolves in the ocean overnight, leaving no microplastics in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThe "leaving no microplastics" sort of implied it, but nobody explicitly said it. But then, I never explicitly said anyone explicitly said this was a solution to microplastics.The "leaving no microplastics" sort of implied it, but nobody explicitly said it. But then, I never explicitly said anyone explicitly said this was a solution to microplastics.
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Comment on New plastic dissolves in the ocean overnight, leaving no microplastics in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens LinkEven if this works and is wildly successful, it's not a solution to microplastics. Microplastics are everywhere. In the sea, in the himalayas, in human brains, in the dirt, in the atmosphere, in...Even if this works and is wildly successful, it's not a solution to microplastics. Microplastics are everywhere. In the sea, in the himalayas, in human brains, in the dirt, in the atmosphere, in deserts, everywhere.
What we really need is forms of plastic whose microplastic flakes are self-unraveling (or plastic-eating bacteria, although that might have Side Effects). That's still in R&D, but the budget could be knocked upward by a few orders of magnitude.
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Comment on Ukraine launches attacks in new Russian region as it faces setbacks on home soil in ~news
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThe 3000KM range matters for two reasons: first, hitting long-range targets obviously. But second, as a loitering munition, it gives the drone the ability to stick around for longer while its...The 3000KM range matters for two reasons: first, hitting long-range targets obviously. But second, as a loitering munition, it gives the drone the ability to stick around for longer while its operators search for a target.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump blocked from deporting migrants to countries where they’re not citizens in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentCourts matter for political reasons; it looks kind of bad if they just don't attend court and get immediately ruled against, then ignore the ruling. Especially since if they ignore the ruling,...Courts matter for political reasons; it looks kind of bad if they just don't attend court and get immediately ruled against, then ignore the ruling. Especially since if they ignore the ruling, there will just be another court case immediately.
Plus, fighting in court gains them time - if they drag out the suit for a month or two, then for the next month or two it's irrelevant. And fighting in court doesn't cost them anything. Even if it doesn't matter, why wouldn't they send a lawyer?
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Comment on Does he get tossed? Do I have any wagers? in ~society
PuddleOfKittens LinkI wager that he completes the end of his term (or dies while still holding office; same thing really), because every week he stays in power is another week he can use to consolidate power. Time is...I wager that he completes the end of his term (or dies while still holding office; same thing really), because every week he stays in power is another week he can use to consolidate power. Time is on his side, he's done things in the last week that would have gotten him immediately impeached by Republicans in 2016.
The Republicans won't throw out MAGA, because the Republican party mostly is MAGA now. In 2020-2024, Republicans repeatedly tried and failed to replace Trump with someone more controllable but failed, and institutional Republicans got primaries by MAGA Republicans. The institutional Republicans know they don't have any better options, so they'll focus on whatever power to manipulate Trump they have, and that means they won't piss him off too much.
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentNot really, it's an arbitrary date about two centuries wide, so people pick an explanation based on what looks not-medieval. The other obvious choice would be guns. What people don't pick is the...Is it really a coincidence that the Middle Ages ended with the spread of the printing press?
Not really, it's an arbitrary date about two centuries wide, so people pick an explanation based on what looks not-medieval.
The other obvious choice would be guns.
What people don't pick is the rise of professional armies (which displaced vassalage), and the black death's resulting labor shortage and resulting peasant revolutions that ended serfdom (they weren't successful everywhere, of course, and the resulting tenant farms weren't necessarily better). Neither of these is technological though, which makes them seem weird and out-of-nowhere.
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentIIRC Phoenix, Arizona has a ton of surface car parks in their CBD. That's not driven by zoning.IIRC Phoenix, Arizona has a ton of surface car parks in their CBD. That's not driven by zoning.
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentWhile I fundamentally agree with the strategy of reduce cost of housing, this isn't all that useful. You can't tax e.g. housing that needs maintenance or is being renovated, but it's possible to...Establish a vacancy tax so that empty properties can't sit idle without generating at least some revenue for building additional housing.
While I fundamentally agree with the strategy of reduce cost of housing, this isn't all that useful. You can't tax e.g. housing that needs maintenance or is being renovated, but it's possible to fake that easily. They could also just demolish the house and rent out car parking spots, which wouldn't be useful either.
A better strategy is a Land Value Tax (LVT), which asks the question "if you demolished all buildings on the land then put it up for sale, how much would it sell for?" then charges a % of that to the owner every year. So a 400sqm-base apartment block and a 400sqm ground parking lot both pay the same LVT, but obviously the skyscraper will earn more, so people who sit on unused parking lots/houses will pay tax but earn no revenue.
LVT has its own downsides of course (like an outdated land valuation from before recent nearby developments and How Do We Decide When To Update Values), but it's way less holey and provides a positive pressure to use the land productive rather than trying to whack-a-mole every nonproductive use.
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Comment on Why I recommend against Brave in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentThis makes me really wonder why Mozilla abandoned Servo, if Gecko is so limited.This makes me really wonder why Mozilla abandoned Servo, if Gecko is so limited.
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Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food
PuddleOfKittens LinkYes, that's me. I like not having greasy hands. If you like using your hands so much, why don't you eat steak and veg with your hands?Do you eat your pizza with a fork and knife?
Yes, that's me. I like not having greasy hands. If you like using your hands so much, why don't you eat steak and veg with your hands?
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Comment on In email, Microsoft suggests Windows 10 users trade in or recycle their PC in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentI think most software companies would kill to have Windows 10's prospective userbase. And it's not like software has an expiry date - 10 years isn't that old for software, especially when you...To be fair, Windows 10 is now going to be 10 years old. At some point a company is not going to be able to continue to support old software.
I think most software companies would kill to have Windows 10's prospective userbase. And it's not like software has an expiry date - 10 years isn't that old for software, especially when you consider how old Windows in general is - windows NT was first released in 1993 so it's 32 years old.
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Comment on Is dark energy getting weaker? Fresh data bolster shock finding. in ~science
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentWhat are the most interesting implications of this?What are the most interesting implications of this?
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Comment on FOSS infrastructure is under attack by AI companies in ~tech
PuddleOfKittens (edited )Link ParentScreenshots are just caching the source - linking is unreliable because links can go dead at any time, articles can be silently rewritten, tweets deleted, and e.g. Discord messages might be...Screenshots are just caching the source - linking is unreliable because links can go dead at any time, articles can be silently rewritten, tweets deleted, and e.g. Discord messages might be impossible to link in the first place.
Archive.org might be a better solution, except 1) it isn't easily embeddable like a screenshot is, and 2) it's more legally dubious - if you cache an entire NYTimes article and lots of people read the cache on archive.org, then NYTimes could C&D archive.org for piracy, potentially.
EDIT: it's still a huge fucking pain in the ass though; they should do both ideally, it's unlikely a github/gitlab bug issue tracker link will change.
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Comment on If you could go into hibernation and wake up in the future, would you? in ~talk
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentBring your dogs into hibernation.Bring your dogs into hibernation.
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Comment on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and US influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists in ~food
PuddleOfKittens Link ParentBecause it reduces domestic labor (which is by its nature artisinal) by substituting in factory goods that are subject to economy of scale. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater - more...Why is everything processed and pre-packaged? Cheaper ingredients and higher profits.
Because it reduces domestic labor (which is by its nature artisinal) by substituting in factory goods that are subject to economy of scale.
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater - more economic participation is good, it makes our lives better. The real problem is that food processors would put heroin into the food if it were legal, so while processed food could be made healthy, in practice it isn't.
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Comment on Department of Agriculture fired the experts on invasive pests that can decimate crops in the US in ~society
PuddleOfKittens LinkOoh, time for another Great Leap Forward! ...Ooh, time for another Great Leap Forward!
“When we had these first rumors about the probationary terminations, they told us not to worry, because we are so critical to the American economy, they couldn’t even believe that we would be hit,” a USDA official said, requesting anonymity out of fear of retribution.
...
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Comment on The impact of sand mining - current rates predicted to be unsustainable in ~enviro
PuddleOfKittens LinkDesert sand can be used in concrete, this is a myth. There are advantages to beach sand (mainly cost and flexibility with regards to water IIRC), but it's not the end of the world. High-purity...Sand underpins everything from skyscrapers to smartphones. Sharp sand (as opposed to rounded desert sand) is the key ingredient in concrete, while high-purity silica sand is essential for making the silicon chips that power our digital devices.
- Desert sand can be used in concrete, this is a myth. There are advantages to beach sand (mainly cost and flexibility with regards to water IIRC), but it's not the end of the world.
- High-purity silica is technically essential to semiconductors, but 1) silica is common and chips don't use that much of it, so there's no real demand to look for alternatives, and 2) if people start actually looking for options that don't need high-purity silica, then they'll probably find them very quickly. It's like people in the 1890s assuming that the only alternative to horses will ever be 1890s automobile designs.
Basically every "critical <mineral> shortage" is just economics - what they mean by "shortage" is "we'll have to do some other thing, which costs more money because we never bothered to make it cheap".
I did ALTTPR once, it was alright I guess.