SleventhTower's recent activity
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Comment on I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI – and it only took twenty minutes in ~tech
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SleventhTower Link ParentAh yeah, slowdown on the tutorial island is rough. I started playing on the old server shortly after release, and it wasn't too laggy. But then I started a new character on Dreva once it launched,...Ah yeah, slowdown on the tutorial island is rough. I started playing on the old server shortly after release, and it wasn't too laggy. But then I started a new character on Dreva once it launched, and just kinda speedran my way through the tutorial island. You can get to Serbule Hills (or Serbule directly? I forget) fairly quickly that way, and then your options open up. But I'm still avoiding Serbule (the first city/area), because of server lag. There is a new desert land that's just designed for beginners and to alleviate lag that I've been meaning to try.
Anyway, I'm kind of dabbling in everything and randomly bringing a lot of skills up to lvl 5/10 according to my whims. And according to the NPC favor quests that seem easy to do at the moment. I don't really have a game plan, and I'm really enjoying wandering around aimlessly and connecting the dots however I want! The only downside is that that scattershot approach tends to clutter up my inventory even more.
The challenges I run into are basically just encountering higher level mobs who can kill me in a few shots. It doesn't seem like there's a lot I can do to escape when that happens. But I'm kind of tempting fate by running around areas with higher level mobs in the first place.
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
SleventhTower Link ParentThe DVD player functionality was a significant factor in convincing my parents to buy a PS2 for the family. We didn't have one, and it made sense to get a multi-purpose device.The DVD player functionality was a significant factor in convincing my parents to buy a PS2 for the family. We didn't have one, and it made sense to get a multi-purpose device.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SleventhTower (edited )LinkI've put about 15 hours into the fantasy MMORPG Project: Gorgon, which was just released from Early Access a few days ago. I randomly saw it on Steam, tried the demo, and I was hooked. It reminds...I've put about 15 hours into the fantasy MMORPG Project: Gorgon, which was just released from Early Access a few days ago.
I randomly saw it on Steam, tried the demo, and I was hooked. It reminds me of playing RuneScape, WoW, and Star Wars: Galaxies twenty years ago.
It's quirky and old-school in a lot of ways. Players can and often do transform into animals, which affects what actions the player can take. There is no instancing. There are no classes, just skills like RuneScape. And combat skills combine in unique sandboxy ways, ex. With Unarmed and Psychology, you can bully your enemies with your words and your fists. It's grindy, but it does a good job of rewarding you often.
Quest markers don't exist. You have to read the quest description and sometimes think about it a bit. The dev likes to include little riddles to figure out. Things are clunky and not always optimized for quality-of-life, but I think in some ways that's the point. It's a handcrafted experience.
The bad part is the technical side. It's really unoptimized. The game looks like 2005 Oblivion, but runs like the heaviest modern games. And the launch has been unexpectedly successful, which means significant server lag in the first town (in the Drevas server at least). There seems to be a memory leak which causes my whole computer to soft crash and require a restart every couple hours.
It sounds ridiculous, but I don't even care. The dev is pretty active, so I think things will improve. It's a fun game, and I'm going to keep playing it.
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Comment on Wired vs. wireless mouse and keyboard? in ~tech
SleventhTower Link ParentJust BT. It's a Keychron K10 Pro. I like it otherwise, but yeah the BT is finicky. It works a bit better with Windows too, which is annoying because I switched one of my computers to Fedora a...Just BT. It's a Keychron K10 Pro. I like it otherwise, but yeah the BT is finicky. It works a bit better with Windows too, which is annoying because I switched one of my computers to Fedora a while ago.
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Comment on Wired vs. wireless mouse and keyboard? in ~tech
SleventhTower LinkThis is somewhat of an arbitrary factor, but I will say that wireless interference/connectivity issues are a thing for me. My bluetooth Keychron keyboard in particular faces somewhat frequent...This is somewhat of an arbitrary factor, but I will say that wireless interference/connectivity issues are a thing for me. My bluetooth Keychron keyboard in particular faces somewhat frequent interference that delays and/or prevents key presses from registering. For light office uses, it's not too noticeable. But if I'm playing a WASD game or coding, it can be a dealbreaker. In those situations, I've learned to plug in the keyboard, which solves the problem. Still, it can be pretty annoying sometimes.
That being said, I have two computers, two wireless keyboards, and two wireless mice on my desk. And the Keychron keyboard switches pairing between the two computers. So that may be contributing to interference. And there may be a specific conflict between my devices.
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Comment on A brief history of men's underwear in ~life.style
SleventhTower Link ParentYeah the idea of wearing "tighty whitey" briefs was a joke/insult in itself. Having your underwear accidentally exposed could be embarrassing regardless, but wearing boxers seemed to be the safest...Yeah the idea of wearing "tighty whitey" briefs was a joke/insult in itself. Having your underwear accidentally exposed could be embarrassing regardless, but wearing boxers seemed to be the safest choice to avoid ridicule.
Now I mostly wear boxer briefs too. The whole thing is laughable but also interesting to look back on.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
SleventhTower Link ParentThere's a big loophole in regulation that helps manufacturers avoid the true point of the regulation (reducing emissions). Yeah, the manufacturers would rather that all of CAFE be rolled back, but...There's a big loophole in regulation that helps manufacturers avoid the true point of the regulation (reducing emissions). Yeah, the manufacturers would rather that all of CAFE be rolled back, but the current situation was pretty friendly to manufacturers in the first place.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
SleventhTower Link ParentI would label that phenomenon as regulatory capture.I would label that phenomenon as regulatory capture.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SleventhTower (edited )LinkMonster Train 2 Deckbuilding roguelike similar to Slay the Spire. I played the first one for about 130 hours. It's been a great side game to play while eating dinner or watching a show. I've only...Monster Train 2
Deckbuilding roguelike similar to Slay the Spire. I played the first one for about 130 hours. It's been a great side game to play while eating dinner or watching a show. I've only got a few runs down in the second game. I have somewhat mixed feelings at this point.
It's nice having new mechanics, new heroes, new cards, etc. But it's not intuitive yet, as I often have to check things like "what does Conduit do again?? And have I unlocked any cards that synergize well with it?" So it requires a bit more mental energy to play.
Also, the changes from the first game feel a bit like "just make the numbers bigger and add more things to keep track of" sometimes. I.e. power creep. And I don't like that the final boss fight has 7 waves, as it drags on IMO. Some of the elegance of the first game seems to be diluted.
But that's an early impression, and I'm sure that will change over time. I've just unlocked the third clan and started my first run with them, so I've only seen a fraction of the game so far.
Sifu
Third-person brawler with tight combat. I realize now that watching this game doesn't really do it justice. It feels fluid and satisfying to play. Like Mirror's Edge but focused on martial arts instead of parkour. Singleplayer action games have not grabbed me recently, but I think I'll stick with this one. It's basically a fighting game, but one that's not weighed down by old tropes (saying that as a casual fighting game fan).
It's the kind of game where the presentation doesn't really matter, because the core mechanic is so good. But the presentation is actually cool too. Revenge story set in China (it feels like Hong Kong specifically, but apparently it's not, and there appears to be some discourse around that and other cultural issues on the web), that provides a fitting atmosphere without bogging down the gameplay.
I played just an hour or two so far, so again these are early impressions.
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Comment on Bun is joining Anthropic in ~tech
SleventhTower Link ParentI had heard good stuff about Bun without understanding what exactly it was till now. It sounds cool technically, but yeah the acquisition makes me pause a bit.I had heard good stuff about Bun without understanding what exactly it was till now. It sounds cool technically, but yeah the acquisition makes me pause a bit.
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: how AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
SleventhTower Link ParentRight, I don't usually trust the biggest YouTube channels surrounding a particular topic, as they tend to turn into biased/promo-heavy channels over time. So you often have to seek out smaller or...Right, I don't usually trust the biggest YouTube channels surrounding a particular topic, as they tend to turn into biased/promo-heavy channels over time. So you often have to seek out smaller or particularly trustworthy channels. And I don't think the LLMs have the proper judgment mechanisms to filter through mixed-trust information like that yet.
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: how AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
SleventhTower (edited )Link ParentAt this point it's rare to come across easily digestible product reviews/recommendations with no agenda too. Reddit is filling up with increasingly subtle promotional posts/comments that are...At this point it's rare to come across easily digestible product reviews/recommendations with no agenda too. Reddit is filling up with increasingly subtle promotional posts/comments that are designed to appear organic. The lists and blogs that appear in the top of search results are often only there due to SEO manipulation and/or have affiliate links. I think YouTube is one of the last places remaining to get less biased information. But even that approach usually requires you to seek out specific creators and watch long videos.
I'm not sure I would trust AI's product searches as a result. It gets a lot of information from Reddit's ads-disguised-as-comments I've noticed.
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Comment on I think nobody wants AI in Firefox, Mozilla in ~tech
SleventhTower Link ParentSame here. I know I would have been better served by saving the HTML/text of articles I wanted to read. Thus avoiding link rot. But I didn't do that. And I also should have categorized my...Same here. I know I would have been better served by saving the HTML/text of articles I wanted to read. Thus avoiding link rot. But I didn't do that. And I also should have categorized my bookmarks better. But I'm 1200 bookmarks in, and I would like some help with the mess I have now.
I've always thought the interface for bookmarks was oddly antiquated. Like it basically hasn't changed in 20 years.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SleventhTower Link ParentI thought you were describing a conversation with an NPC in-game lol. But that is a cool parallel!I thought you were describing a conversation with an NPC in-game lol. But that is a cool parallel!
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Comment on 10M people watched a YouTuber shim a lock; the lock company sued him. Bad idea. in ~tech
SleventhTower Link ParentAfter reading the headline, I immediately started laughing at the thought of the Lockpicking Lawyer getting sued. I was a bit disappointed it wasn't him, just for the abstract humor of it....After reading the headline, I immediately started laughing at the thought of the Lockpicking Lawyer getting sued. I was a bit disappointed it wasn't him, just for the abstract humor of it. Although of course I don't wish frivolous lawsuits on people.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SleventhTower Link ParentHow much of the gameplay is set by the Breakout-style mechanics? I'm into roguelites, but I don't really particularly like Breakout-style games.How much of the gameplay is set by the Breakout-style mechanics? I'm into roguelites, but I don't really particularly like Breakout-style games.
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Comment on 'This is definitely my last TwitchCon': High-profile streamer Emiru was assaulted at the event, even as streamers have been sounding the alarm about stalkers and harassment in ~games
SleventhTower Link ParentUnfortunately, I think there's significant overlap between "things that lead to and/or enable parasociality" and "things that cause a streamer to grow and/or maintain their popularity". Regarding...Unfortunately, I think there's significant overlap between "things that lead to and/or enable parasociality" and "things that cause a streamer to grow and/or maintain their popularity".
Regarding your example streamer - did they start streaming that game earlier than most other people? Do they produce good educational content? Are they exceptionally skilled at the game? If any of those things are true, then those are probably big factors as to why they are popular without engaging in things that enable parasociality. In other words, they seem like an anomaly to me.
But a lot of streamers without those factors will be incentivized to engage with their audience on a personal level. Use a camera. Get to know the regulars. Expose parts of their personal life. Because these are all things that generally make viewers more interested and invested in the stream. Which helps the streamer become more popular.
So I'm not saying this was your message, but I don't think we can just tell streamers "don't engage personally with your audience" when that runs counter to a lot of incentives.
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Comment on “No one asked for this reboot”: ‘Tron’ may mark end of Jared Leto’s franchise-leading days in ~movies
SleventhTower Link ParentThis seemed obvious as soon as I heard about his not-a-cult-but-seems-kinda-similar-to-a-cult thing. Comes with the territory.This seemed obvious as soon as I heard about his not-a-cult-but-seems-kinda-similar-to-a-cult thing. Comes with the territory.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SleventhTower Link ParentIt is a really great drop-in game. I don't feel particularly good at it, and in fact, I don't know if I've gotten better even after understanding more mechanics (I just learned what the Boss Curse...It is a really great drop-in game. I don't feel particularly good at it, and in fact, I don't know if I've gotten better even after understanding more mechanics (I just learned what the Boss Curse does after being confused by its effects multiple times) and unlocking a lot of stuff. But it's enjoyable nonetheless.
SEO manipulation never really got the attention that it should have IMO. And this is an evolution/corollary of that.
If someone maliciously switches out a physical street sign from "Main" to "Martin Luther King Drive", that gets identified and fixed pretty quickly. On lesser known side streets, maybe an inaccurate sign could stay up longer. But it still garners a response for the most part.
The fact that we're relying upon Google to fix similar issues in its search results out of the goodness of its heart (or whatever sliver of stewardship remains in the company) is ridiculous.