Raistlin's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentI probably should pay for VIP. I had a goal that if I got to lvl 50, I could justify it. I'm a Mariner, so the sailing abilities help, but I think I need to write down a list. I didn't even know I...I probably should pay for VIP. I had a goal that if I got to lvl 50, I could justify it.
I'm a Mariner, so the sailing abilities help, but I think I need to write down a list. I didn't even know I could swift travel to Bree and Michel Delving from Celondim, which means I have a permamen port there.
I don't mind the back and forth so much, but I find that specifically getting to Rivendell is a pain. Not sure why, maybe I'm not porting to the right place. I usually port to Swanfleet and go from there, but not sure if that's actually faster.
How does the game change at Moria? Are the epic quests more streamlined after that?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentI'm enjoying the story, but it is dragging a bit. I know I'll be done by Book 15, and like I mentioned, I like the story. But I don't like the delivery of messages back and forth between elves all...I'm enjoying the story, but it is dragging a bit. I know I'll be done by Book 15, and like I mentioned, I like the story. But I don't like the delivery of messages back and forth between elves all over Eriador. It wastes a lot of the little time I have after work.
I'm surprised that I'm probably going to hit 50 just with book quests alone. I'm going to finish that out, finish the bingo quest in the area, the Mariner quests, and then abandon everything and start fresh in Moria I think.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentI have my moments! I've never had a high level character. My Mariner is the furthest I've gone (lvl 48). Currently on Book 13, and I love the story. It's mostly why I've abandoned other MMOs. I...I have my moments! I've never had a high level character. My Mariner is the furthest I've gone (lvl 48). Currently on Book 13, and I love the story.
It's mostly why I've abandoned other MMOs. I want to get immersed in the world, and I'm finding that increasingly hard if the world isn't trying to be immersive.
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Raistlin LinkWelp, I'm happy that LOTRO is my main MMO. I think I'll steer clear of the WoW pserver scene for a couple of months and then see what's left when I get the WoW bug again.Welp, I'm happy that LOTRO is my main MMO. I think I'll steer clear of the WoW pserver scene for a couple of months and then see what's left when I get the WoW bug again.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin LinkStill playing LOTRO. I'm going through a big Tolkien kick this month (finished the Silmarillion, Children of Húrin and Beren and Lúthien, working on Fall of Gondolin), and playing LOTRO is part of...Still playing LOTRO. I'm going through a big Tolkien kick this month (finished the Silmarillion, Children of Húrin and Beren and Lúthien, working on Fall of Gondolin), and playing LOTRO is part of that. I love being able to zone out and catch up on my audio books while I hand around Rivendell.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentIn terms of 999, you need to get a specific ending first, and then do a second playthrough to get the true ending. Thankfully, I landed on the correct ending by sheer blind luck, but just thought...In terms of 999, you need to get a specific ending first, and then do a second playthrough to get the true ending. Thankfully, I landed on the correct ending by sheer blind luck, but just thought you should know this.
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Comment on Over 50% of the job cuts in video games are in California in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentYeah, my millenial circle of friends is similar. I play older games, or go back to MMOs occassionally. I'll buy new games extremely rarely now. Not just too expensive, but with a job, wife and...Yeah, my millenial circle of friends is similar. I play older games, or go back to MMOs occassionally. I'll buy new games extremely rarely now. Not just too expensive, but with a job, wife and kid, I get very little time to myself a day, and don't really have the energy or desire to learn new systems. Would rather just fire up Kingdom Hearts or something.
Like, E33 is definitely on my list. It's good and it's reasonably priced, I should want it. And I do, just not right now. One day.
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Comment on Why language models hallucinate in ~tech
Raistlin Link ParentI have a permanent CoPilot prompt to stfu with the compliments and brownnosing. It ignores it like half the time.I have a permanent CoPilot prompt to stfu with the compliments and brownnosing. It ignores it like half the time.
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Comment on Blizzard Entertainment files lawsuit against World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentI hadn't even realised, I stopped following the news! I'll have to check it out. Seemskke it had a bad launch.I hadn't even realised, I stopped following the news! I'll have to check it out. Seemskke it had a bad launch.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Raistlin LinkBeen bit by the MMO bug again and am mostly playing LOTRO. I had enough points for the Mariner class, and I'm so happy I bought it. It's exactly the class fantasy I was hankering for, a rugged...Been bit by the MMO bug again and am mostly playing LOTRO. I had enough points for the Mariner class, and I'm so happy I bought it. It's exactly the class fantasy I was hankering for, a rugged duelist making his way through Middle Earth.
Really enjoyed the new questing experience in Swanfleet and Carolan. Am currently questioning in Forochel and Angmar, but I'm hitting the same roadblock I hit 40-50 in that I'm happiest if I'm questing in a green area with elves. Angmar is not that.
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Comment on Blizzard Entertainment files lawsuit against World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentGod, the fucking balls to be involved in a project like this while being in the US.God, the fucking balls to be involved in a project like this while being in the US.
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Comment on Blizzard Entertainment files lawsuit against World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW in ~games
Raistlin Link ParentSame. Didn't want it, diverted resources, was extremely dangerous. What a catastrophe. Hopefully Project Epoch comes out soon, and makes a point to stay under the radar.Same. Didn't want it, diverted resources, was extremely dangerous. What a catastrophe.
Hopefully Project Epoch comes out soon, and makes a point to stay under the radar.
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin Link ParentI would argue that there's a difference between teaching students about GenAI as a tool and its uses and limitations, and allowing its use in school outside of that very controlled environment. An...I would argue that there's a difference between teaching students about GenAI as a tool and its uses and limitations, and allowing its use in school outside of that very controlled environment.
An analogy. English is my second language, and in English class, I was expected to speak it. However, outside of English class I was expected not to speak it, because it wasn't the language of my culture and people, and more important than learning a second language was learning to live in a shared cultural environment.
I think of these tools the same way. It is absolutely important to learn to browse the internet. But I'm increasingly starting to think it's more important to have the students hand in the their phones before they go into class so that there's no easy distractions to the learning process.
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin (edited )Link ParentI would say that if you only have an hour a day to play, an MMO might not be the correct hobby to pick. But then we're getting very far away from the original discussion!I would say that if you only have an hour a day to play, an MMO might not be the correct hobby to pick. But then we're getting very far away from the original discussion!
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin Link ParentDon't know if there's any research behind it, but it sounds right to me. Just personally, I feel it's the moments of quiet and introspection that can lead to deeper thoughts, but with the...Don't know if there's any research behind it, but it sounds right to me.
Just personally, I feel it's the moments of quiet and introspection that can lead to deeper thoughts, but with the internet, there are no longer any moments like these. You can amuse yourself at any point in time and space.
I was discussing MMOs recently and I was talking to a guy that wouldn't play a game where he had to spend 15 minutes gathering up a party. And to be fair, MMOs have a lot of bullshit in them. But I was struck by how just 15 minutes of doing something not immediately fun was a deal-breaker. Like any time spent that is not immediately rewarded by dopamine is time wasted. I found that philosophy a bit worrying. It's almost... hedonistic, I suppose? Like the point of every moment of your life is immediate pleasure.
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin Link ParentI admit that our truancy rate is quite high, but I'd bet 50 bucks that if I go to a comparable country with lower truancy rates, I'll still see a similar phenomenon. Look, I don't want to say only...I admit that our truancy rate is quite high, but I'd bet 50 bucks that if I go to a comparable country with lower truancy rates, I'll still see a similar phenomenon.
Look, I don't want to say only one issue is causing this. Every complex issue has complex causes. But I also can't deny what I'm seeing with my own eyes. I see kids on their phone, non-stop, and they find no joy in reading, and aren't able to do it well. Reading is not part of their culture. I then see these same kids struggle to cope with coursework, and I see them lack basic skills that these courses all assumed they'd have. This is anecdotal, but I'm not going to deny my lived experience.
Walk around my campus and look at the student population. All eyes down, on their phone, looking at nothing around them. How are we surprised that they're depressed? Yes, there's economic uncertainty and the climate emergency, but they're also not looking at the trees, they're not reading novels. They're just... feeding their brain dopamine.
Yes this is a generalisation, yes there's a 1000 other things going on, but humans work on generalisations. We used to hear that at least the new generations were at least more tolerant, and that lasted a few years before the rise of the manosphere, where young men follow grifters and rapists as their hobby now. How are we surprised men don't know what feminism means? It's really easy to trick an illiterate population.
If you ban computers and phones from the classroom, you are going to have more reading. It'll definitely hurt, but getting rid of the dopamine machines forces people to do other things out of boredom. And hey, then you also teach them to cope with boredom, which is another lost skill.
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin Link ParentIs New Zealand extremely underfunded? Because that's the country I'm talking about. I know Americans have decimated their public school system, but the collapse in literacy isn't just American....Is New Zealand extremely underfunded? Because that's the country I'm talking about.
I know Americans have decimated their public school system, but the collapse in literacy isn't just American. That link I have you is about NZ kids, not Americans.
What's your hypothesis? What commonality does the first world have that is seeing the decline in literacy rates in so many countries? It's not the lack of funding in public schools because countries with a less severe version of this are also getting hit. It's also happening in private schools. So what's going on?
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin Link ParentWriting does a few things. First of all, you can't write as fast as you can type. It means that the student can't just parrot the information, they have to learn to synthesise the important parts,...Writing does a few things. First of all, you can't write as fast as you can type. It means that the student can't just parrot the information, they have to learn to synthesise the important parts, in real time. That makes themearn how to think. Then the writing process itself. It's slower, and creates tactile memories. Not only do you remember hearing it, you remember writing it, which because it took a longer amount of time, is more likely to stick in your brain, because both your hand and your brain had to stare at it longer.
There are some advances in education that we have adopted that are good and useful. But there are things were we think that we're better than everyone that came before us, and we're not always right. The ancient Sumerians 7,000 years ago understood that having students write on a mud tablet over and over increased their memory of the thing they wanted to write. And now look at us, we know better than the dumb ancients, and are now wondering why there's a literacy crisis:
A research report published by The Education Hub earlier this year revealed that by the age of 15, 35.4 per cent of teenagers struggle to read and write.
Since the late 2000s, the performance of New Zealand students in international standardised tests measuring numeracy, literacy and science performance has steadily declined.
Maybe you're right. Maybe every single literate civilisation in history is wrong, and there's a better way of teaching than simply making kids read a story and write about it with their own two hands. But I can tell you that whatever we've done, we have utterly ruined a generation of children, and hobbled their futures.
This has real effects. Students that are unable to cope with the university workload, as I mentioned, hurt themselves, lie to their parents, cheat, get expelled, and destroy their lives. All because they can't read and write. Complain all you like about notebooks and pencils, but by God, before computers and tablets, most kids going through school could read and write.
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Comment on My classroom will be AI-free this fall in ~humanities
Raistlin LinkI'm hoping this catches on before my daughter enters school. I've said elsewhere here, I work in the tertiary education sector, and more and more kids are entering uni that are plainly not...I'm hoping this catches on before my daughter enters school. I've said elsewhere here, I work in the tertiary education sector, and more and more kids are entering uni that are plainly not literate, and universities can't teach kids how to read. So we get more cheating, more calls for pastoral care as these kids start to fail and deal with suicide and self harm, reputational damage of giving degrees to people that can't do basic work things, and on and on.
There is no such thing as integrating AI into the learning process. Perhaps there's a use for GenAI for other things, but it has no role in the learning. You learn by writing things down on a piece of paper, slowly, so that your brain forms multiple connections with the material. You learn by reading, slowly, and taking about it with other slow readers.
How we forgot this as a society is incredible, and why we're surprised it's doing severe harm is ridiculous. The point of assigning a student an essay isn't to get a good essay. The essay will be bad. The point is that the student learns how to think.
Welp, I wish I had known about that Rivendell trick! I just finished Book 15 last night (and loved it, and am gutted I don't get to interact with Narmeleth anymore), and started the beginning quest for Moria. My plan is enter Moria, clean up the Mariner and housing quests languishing in my quest log, abandon everything else and then start fresh from Moria (and the Bingo quests, obvs)
Good to hear about cosmetics, because I've basically had the starter Mariner set cosmetically equipped since level 1. God, most equipment either looks too stupid or too fancy so far.
This is the first time in LOTRO I've ever go beyond lvl 50, so I'm very excited.