Rudism's recent activity
-
Comment on Anthropic aims to nearly triple annualized revenue in 2026, sources say in ~tech
-
Comment on The majority AI view in ~comp
Rudism LinkI'm among those who held that majority opinion for a long time. However mine is continuing to slide further and further into "I'm so sick of all the bullshit, I wish I lived in a different reality...Technologies like LLMs have utility, but the absurd way they've been over-hyped, the fact they're being forced on everyone, and the insistence on ignoring the many valid critiques about them make it very difficult to focus on legitimate uses where they might add value.
I'm among those who held that majority opinion for a long time. However mine is continuing to slide further and further into "I'm so sick of all the bullshit, I wish I lived in a different reality where LLMs never existed" territory.
-
Comment on How I reversed Amazon's Kindle web obfuscation because their app sucked in ~tech
Rudism LinkI always knew these sites used tricks to make it hard to download stuff (even if you're willing to do it manually using the network tab of your browser), but had no idea it was to this extent! I...I always knew these sites used tricks to make it hard to download stuff (even if you're willing to do it manually using the network tab of your browser), but had no idea it was to this extent!
I would also love to go fully legit on ebook and audiobook purchases, but Amazon locking everyone in to Kindle exclusivity makes it hard. For example I pay for DRM-free audiobooks on Libro.fm and Downpour, and e-books on Kobo when they have DRM-free versions, and always purchase directly from the author when that's an option, but so often I've started a series and discovered that everything after book 2 or 3 is Kindle exclusive. Usually I just drop it and move on to something new, but there's always a part of me that feels like if they're not willing to offer me a legitimate way to pay for the book without draconian DRM restrictions, then obtaining it via "other" methods are a little easier to justify.
-
Comment on If the Xbox Ally is the future of Xbox, Microsoft is in trouble in ~games
Rudism Link ParentI think the handheld device market must be more booming than I realized. I suppose if this is going to be a primary gaming device it makes sense to maximize specs. I was assuming these would...I think the handheld device market must be more booming than I realized. I suppose if this is going to be a primary gaming device it makes sense to maximize specs. I was assuming these would always be secondary devices to gaming on a real PC or mainline console, but it sounds like maybe that assumption is wrong.
-
Comment on If the Xbox Ally is the future of Xbox, Microsoft is in trouble in ~games
Rudism Link ParentIf you don't actually travel, and just want something portable that you can play your PC games on around your house or yard or whatever, I think investing in decent wifi/local network...If you don't actually travel, and just want something portable that you can play your PC games on around your house or yard or whatever, I think investing in decent wifi/local network infrastructure and picking up a (way, way, way) cheaper device made for streaming will give you more bang for your buck. For $1000 you could probably get a Unifi router, a couple APs, and something like a Logitech G-Cloud and then stream games from your existing PC.
If you do travel, then I don't understand why anyone would pick this thing up over a Steamdeck OLED or a Switch 2 (both of which are comparable in price to the non-premium Xbox Ally).
-
Comment on If the Xbox Ally is the future of Xbox, Microsoft is in trouble in ~games
Rudism LinkI like how they advertise Game Bar as a top tier selling point. Whenever I try to set up a Windows machine for gaming it takes me like half a day to figure out how to fully disable that damn thing...I like how they advertise Game Bar as a top tier selling point. Whenever I try to set up a Windows machine for gaming it takes me like half a day to figure out how to fully disable that damn thing so I can map the button to something actually useful.
-
Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
Rudism Link ParentI used Neovim for the last few years (after using Vim pretty exclusively since college, so over 20 years ago). For me the big win for Helix is I'm happy with the experience straight out of the...I used Neovim for the last few years (after using Vim pretty exclusively since college, so over 20 years ago). For me the big win for Helix is I'm happy with the experience straight out of the box. With Vim and Neovim I had to install and manage all kinds of plugins, configs for those plugins, and configs for the editor itself to get it into a pleasant state--everything always felt like a huge mess (with Neovim being slightly better, but I'm not a huge fan of using Lisp as a config language). With Helix I'm down to maybe 20 lines of config, and could use it perfectly happily with no config at all. Huge breath of fresh air.
-
Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
Rudism LinkI'm using Helix now, after decades of Vim (I switched because I got sick of messing with LSP configs and my life instantly improved). Mostly I code C# and you can try to convince me as much as you...I'm using Helix now, after decades of Vim (I switched because I got sick of messing with LSP configs and my life instantly improved). Mostly I code C# and you can try to convince me as much as you want that VS Code is better but I am not buying it.
-
Comment on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Official trailer in ~tv
Rudism LinkI am unlikely to watch this, but I am mildly curious what the in-universe explanation will be for The Doctor now looking like a much older Robert Picardo. I suppose whatever the explanation is...I am unlikely to watch this, but I am mildly curious what the in-universe explanation will be for The Doctor now looking like a much older Robert Picardo. I suppose whatever the explanation is (however silly) will at least be better than if they decided to digitally de-age him.
-
Comment on At the end of our ropes in ~health.mental
Rudism Link ParentI strongly agree with the suggestion to get a second opinion on the ADHD diagnosis. Both of my sons have ADHD, and the idea that they can't focus on any task seems very wrong to me. When he's off...I strongly agree with the suggestion to get a second opinion on the ADHD diagnosis. Both of my sons have ADHD, and the idea that they can't focus on any task seems very wrong to me. When he's off his medication my older son will hyperfocus on whatever video game he's playing to the exclusion of almost everything else. Off his meds my younger one would either play video games or sit and watch YouTube shorts from the second he wakes up until he passes out from exhaustion (I'd sometimes worry he'd starve to death if his mom and I didn't force him to stop and eat a couple times a day).
I felt nearly as hopeless as OP sounds, especially with my older son, until we got him diagnosed with ADHD and found medication that helps him function. Back around covid times he nearly had to be held back a year, his grades were so bad, but now he's getting straight As and qualifying for a bunch of scholarships to help with college next year. Night and day difference.
-
Comment on Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? in ~tech
Rudism Link ParentI used to feel this way, but now I think that the expectation of easy returns by consumers is one of the worst things Amazon has done to us. Most of the stuff returned to Amazon (and other...I used to feel this way, but now I think that the expectation of easy returns by consumers is one of the worst things Amazon has done to us. Most of the stuff returned to Amazon (and other retailers who were forced to start accepting free returns for everything to compete) end up in a landfill. The price of everything gets inflated to compensate, and all the extra waste generated is terrible for the environment. There was a Climate Town video (or two maybe) covering the topic that changed my online shopping habits quite a bit.
-
A better way to watch YouTube
21 votes -
Comment on Introducing Kagi News in ~tech
Rudism Link ParentSame here. I'd also like to see an RSS feed with one aggregated entry of headlines and summaries per day or week, as opposed to the current feed which has one entry per headline--it's a little too...Same here. I'd also like to see an RSS feed with one aggregated entry of headlines and summaries per day or week, as opposed to the current feed which has one entry per headline--it's a little too noisy for me the way it works now.
-
Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv
Rudism LinkI feel like a lot of TV these days (including Trek, I think, although I admit I haven't watched any "newer" Trek outside of Lower Decks, a season of Discovery, and the first few episodes of...I feel like a lot of TV these days (including Trek, I think, although I admit I haven't watched any "newer" Trek outside of Lower Decks, a season of Discovery, and the first few episodes of Picard), is that they're all mimicing the "prestige TV" formula and chasing the fame and success of Game of Thrones. Every episode needs to be an epic, narrative-advancing, film-quality blockbuster. I'm not necessarily complaining--that formula can generate some dope-ass TV--but that's not what made me a Trek fan back in the days of TNG, DS9, and Voyager. Sometimes I just want to watch Data and Geordi fuck around in the holodeck for an hour, know what I mean?
-
Comment on Why do some gamers invert their controls? Scientists now have answers, but they’re not what you think. in ~games
Rudism Link ParentFor me the difference is between piloting a vehicle versus controlling a character. Vehicles I tend to invert, while characters I don't (regardless of whether they're through first or third person...For me the difference is between piloting a vehicle versus controlling a character. Vehicles I tend to invert, while characters I don't (regardless of whether they're through first or third person cameras). That extends to controlling both at the same time--for example in games where one stick controls the vehicle while the other lets you look around the interior of the cockpit, my preference is the vehicle one be inverted but the character one be non-inverted. My overall tendency is probably non-inversion, because it's much easier for me to adapt to non-inverted vehicle controls than it is to inverted character controls.
-
Comment on Dear Nintendo, please bring back the Wii Remote in ~games
Rudism Link ParentYour comment got me curious because I've opened my joycons to swap out the shell, and don't remember seeing speakers in there. From what I read the games that play music through the joycons are...Your comment got me curious because I've opened my joycons to swap out the shell, and don't remember seeing speakers in there. From what I read the games that play music through the joycons are actually using the HD rumble feature to generate sounds... like vibrating at a specific frequency to produce the desired notes. Wild.
-
Comment on Dear Nintendo, please bring back the Wii Remote in ~games
Rudism Link ParentIn fact your original comment was correct--the Nintendo Switch does have an IR sensor/camera. If you've got an original or OLED Switch and look at the right joycon there's a black plastic "window"...In fact your original comment was correct--the Nintendo Switch does have an IR sensor/camera. If you've got an original or OLED Switch and look at the right joycon there's a black plastic "window" that covers it up. Looks kind of like what you'd see covering the IR blaster on a TV remote.
As far as I know only a single game ever used it though, the 1-2-Switch tech demo thingy that probably nobody ever played (maybe also some now-defunct Labo stuff, I'm not sure).
I'm just speculating, but I think in theory Nintendo could have released an IR bar peripheral for the Nintendo Switch that would allow the right joycon to become a Wii-mote like pointing device. I guess they ultimately decided to just ignore the fact that it exists though.
-
Comment on It’s the little things that make me not fully jump to linux in ~comp
Rudism LinkI am a long-time, die-hard Linux user. Every stereotype you've heard about grumpy old greybeards who attempt to use Linux or BSD and FOSS for everything under the sun, I am probably a living...For quick context, my desktop is dedicated to gaming, everything else I do on my laptop.
I am a long-time, die-hard Linux user. Every stereotype you've heard about grumpy old greybeards who attempt to use Linux or BSD and FOSS for everything under the sun, I am probably a living embodiment of them all.
That said, if I had a dedicated gaming machine that I never wanted to use for anything other than gaming, I'd stick Windows on it (probably Nano11 to keep it clean and minimal). Gaming on Linux has come a long way, but you still make a lot of sacrifices and concessions and run into bugs and incompatibilities often enough to turn it into a headache at least occasionally, if not constantly. Windows is still superior for gaming, and even in 2025 anyone who tries to convince you that Linux is just as good is either lying to you or themselves.
-
Comment on What can I do with my old Pixel 3 phone in 2025? in ~tech
Rudism Link ParentJust a friendly note of caution--it's probably not the saftest bet to rely on Google Photos as your primary backup strategy, I would say that goes doubly so for a grandfathered "unlimited" free...Just a friendly note of caution--it's probably not the saftest bet to rely on Google Photos as your primary backup strategy, I would say that goes doubly so for a grandfathered "unlimited" free storage tier.
There are plenty of horror stories about people having their Google accounts deactivated, banned, or otherwise lost to them with no recourse or hope of getting it back through no obvious fault of their own (which would result in complete loss of everything stored by Google for you, including photos). There's also the possibility that Google will outright revoke the unlimited plans or impose some quality restrictions or do something else that causes loss of data. That's not to mention the privacy issues (do you trust Google not to use all of your photos as AI training data, or sell it off to other companies with even more nefarious plans for them?) If your photos are important to you and you're not already doing it, I'd highly recommend also backing them up either using a dedicated paid backup service or some local process that ensures redundancy.
-
Comment on What are some “sore thumb” lyrics for you? in ~music
Rudism Link ParentI'd find it just as believable that this intepretation is a post-hoc rationalization. From everything I've heard this was a song that the band had mixed opinions on and didn't really take...I'd find it just as believable that this intepretation is a post-hoc rationalization. From everything I've heard this was a song that the band had mixed opinions on and didn't really take seriously (if I'm remembering right it was tossed on as the final B-side track of Toto IV, maybe even as an afterthought?).
I'm definitely not saying it's a certainty, but them putting out the narrative that it was meant to be bad after the fact does smack of trying to cover up a lil' bit of embarrassment.
I think the idea is that it's a projection of the company's annual revenue. Like if a brand new company started up and earned $10,000 in its first month, you wouldn't say "this company earned $10,000 in the last year." Instead you'd say "this company's projected to earn $120,000 per year." The logic holds the same for a company that's been ramping up (or losing) revenue if you want to look at how much it's actually worth right now, without factoring the fact that it was making less (or more) earlier in the year.