TMarkos's recent activity
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Comment on Book recommendation request: Fantasy book about university similar to The Name of the Wind? in ~books
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Comment on Aliens Realize Why No One Attacks "Defenseless" Earth in ~creative
TMarkos Link ParentPeople ripping HFY stories has been a problem for a while. This one, even if it's not ripped from an existing post, seems like it's just a collection of the most common tropes mushed together and...People ripping HFY stories has been a problem for a while. This one, even if it's not ripped from an existing post, seems like it's just a collection of the most common tropes mushed together and fed through a TTS.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TMarkos LinkI have been sinking a ton of time into Stationeers, which I had seen around here and there on streams as akin to Space Engineers or other building/survival simulator games. I did not expect to...I have been sinking a ton of time into Stationeers, which I had seen around here and there on streams as akin to Space Engineers or other building/survival simulator games. I did not expect to find a game nearly as full-featured and complex as this. It is a very detailed simulation of extraterrestrial survival that does a wonderful job providing a friendly overlay to what would otherwise be an intimidating set of mechanics. Everything fits together well, and I constantly find myself having to engage with new systems I have yet to fully explore. I did not expect that I would have memorized the ideal gas constant or learned a MIPS-based programming language for a game, but here I am.
10/10, excellent simulation. Heartily recommend if you're into crunchy space survival stuff.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentOne of the problems I've had with earlier versions of SF is that the game seems to want you to build small, local facilities using the drone and rail networks to merge them, with only one or two...One of the problems I've had with earlier versions of SF is that the game seems to want you to build small, local facilities using the drone and rail networks to merge them, with only one or two medium-sized final assembly plants to make the end products. It was a challenging amount of work in the older versions because the BP capability was smaller; I'm hoping the increased BP capabilities lend themselves more to copy and paste deployment of stuff.
Exploration breaks are good, though! I love that your factory will never really suffer from your absence, so if you want to cavort in the wilderness and search for a few more hard drives or slugs or whatever it's totally fine. You'll never fully experience the whole map in one playthrough, there's too much of it.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TMarkos LinkPlayed through Tactical Breach Wizards (Steam) and it was an absolute joy. The combat is more of a puzzle feel than the punishing pace of XCOM or similar tactics games, since the emphasis is on...Played through Tactical Breach Wizards (Steam) and it was an absolute joy. The combat is more of a puzzle feel than the punishing pace of XCOM or similar tactics games, since the emphasis is on finding optimal or particular solutions to problems rather than merely surviving intact. The game is free with revisions, respecs and replays in order to let you try each scenario in a variety of different ways.
I would be remiss not to mention the writing in this game, because it is stellar. The comedy is snappy and hilarious, and when they introduce serious dialog it actually hits pretty hard while not disrupting the game's overall laconic tone. An A+ game, by the same studio that released Gunpoint and Heat Signature.
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Comment on You're running for office on a somewhat petty, yet univerally-understood single issue. What is it? in ~talk
TMarkos LinkToilet paper orientation standards. The loose end runs across the top to hang down on the outside, not the inside. Anything else is barbarism, unless you have cats - their innate barbarism...Toilet paper orientation standards. The loose end runs across the top to hang down on the outside, not the inside. Anything else is barbarism, unless you have cats - their innate barbarism justifies some sacrifices.
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Comment on Satisfactory is the best automation game ever made and I seriously can't recommend it enough in ~games
TMarkos LinkSatisfactory holds a special place for me in the world of automation games specifically because you are immersed in the environments, and as a result the world feels huge and real in a way that...Satisfactory holds a special place for me in the world of automation games specifically because you are immersed in the environments, and as a result the world feels huge and real in a way that other factory games can't capture. The verticality of it is something different as well, since in games that have it (Dyson Sphere Program, for one) it is a limited thing of level selection on a tileset, whereas in SF it can be several hundred meters of harrowing twists through a monster-infested cave to route belts between a grotto and a plateau.
The reduction to human scale makes everything sit differently. The larger machines that you use in your factory are bulky, colossal things that have integral ladders and walkways you can traverse. None of it feels like just another tile in the set, because of that.
It has a decent amount of replay value simply because the map is so huge; on any given playthrough there will be large swathes of the map that you simply never visit (aside from perhaps a single blitz to grab hard drives and slugs) because it would take you an hour to trek through monster-infested jungle to get there, or because there are huge cliffs in the way. Starting in another location is very much like starting in an entirely new map, as a result. I'm eager to see the change that the addition of portals makes to that aspect of gameplay in the 1.0 release.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
TMarkos LinkI've been rediscovering a lot of Spanish rock and pop that I haven't listened to for varying amounts of time. There were a few years where El Canto del Loco was a regular - in no particular order,...I've been rediscovering a lot of Spanish rock and pop that I haven't listened to for varying amounts of time. There were a few years where El Canto del Loco was a regular - in no particular order, Zapatillos, El Madre de Jose (video is a bit raunchy), Besos. In an older rock sound, there's Heroes del Silencio - Entre dos Tierras, Maldito Duende.
Newer stuff - Rayos Laser - Ya Me Hiciste Mal, Daniela Spalla - Vete De Una Vez, Natalia Lafourcade - her Tiny Desk concert is worth a listen, Jesse & Joy - Dueles.
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Comment on Why AI isn't going to make art in ~arts
TMarkos Link ParentIt's not really that much of a change from existing paradigms insofar as art philosophy goes. Jackson Pollock would be surprised to hear that randomness is not useful in generating art, and Warhol...It's not really that much of a change from existing paradigms insofar as art philosophy goes. Jackson Pollock would be surprised to hear that randomness is not useful in generating art, and Warhol would probably take issue with a stipulation against derivative works.
The person writing the article is arguing that it is probably not "art" to walk up to an AI and tell it to give you some art, but that hinges on the notion that art is a process of communication. I think that's a defensible definition of art, but most reasonable people should agree that art is not a concept that everyone sees equally, or which has solid, bright boundaries. If someone defines art as equivalent to beauty, then AI can certainly meet that standard every now and again. If someone defines art as mindful curation, then surely selecting AI outputs falls under that standard as much as presenting beautiful leaves and rocks from nature.
I don't mind if people don't like AI; there are reasons not to. Trying to say it's alien to the concept of art is demonstrably false, though. I know several artists that use it either for inspiration or as part of their creative process, and it remains a useful tool despite the assertions of those who prefer to take its inutility as a premise and work backward from there.
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Comment on OpenAI hits more than one million paid business users in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentWhen I say high-profile that's not quite what I mean. I'm aware of the case you cited but I'm fairly certain 99.9% of the population is not. I don't think any death from driverless cars will make...When I say high-profile that's not quite what I mean. I'm aware of the case you cited but I'm fairly certain 99.9% of the population is not. I don't think any death from driverless cars will make more than a local splash until people start seriously attempting to roll it out nationwide; once that happens and people have the cars on their local streets then a death will be a more national concern.
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Comment on OpenAI hits more than one million paid business users in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentI think this is going to be a much harder scaling problem than people think, because with expanded numbers and range come inevitable accidents, vandalism, etc. The tech is better than it was but...I think this is going to be a much harder scaling problem than people think, because with expanded numbers and range come inevitable accidents, vandalism, etc. The tech is better than it was but it's nowhere near good enough to stand up to what American roads are going to put it through. One or two high profile deaths from driverless cars will torpedo adoption and it'll stall out after that. They'd have to be incredibly lucky or have extenuating circumstances that currently don't exist to get this pushed into wide, mature adoption.
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Comment on OpenAI hits more than one million paid business users in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentYeah, that's why I said I don't think it's likely. A true leap in capability seems like it would necessitate a fundamental reimagining of how the model works.Yeah, that's why I said I don't think it's likely. A true leap in capability seems like it would necessitate a fundamental reimagining of how the model works.
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Comment on OpenAI hits more than one million paid business users in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentThat's only ChatGPT Plus subs. API access is separate, and costs a fraction of a cent per transaction, metered per token. It's still quite cheap but is well above $20/mo in cost. The current...That's only ChatGPT Plus subs. API access is separate, and costs a fraction of a cent per transaction, metered per token. It's still quite cheap but is well above $20/mo in cost.
The current models do what we need them to do, fairly well, so I don't know that I'd be interested in a pricier model unless it represented a true fundamental leap in capability that would allow it to expand in usage. Specifically, if they solved hallucinations that'd be something. I don't think that's likely.
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Comment on The American/Western right-wing is a threat to queer people worldwide in ~lgbt
TMarkos LinkI feel like this is a well-documented phenomenon, just one that is ignored in America because 1) we have to live with these people, so their presence is normalized, and 2) the American media...I feel like this is a well-documented phenomenon, just one that is ignored in America because 1) we have to live with these people, so their presence is normalized, and 2) the American media doesn't give a crap about internal politics of other countries. For those paying attention, though, the proliferation of Trump supporters in Canada, Europe and beyond is easy to see, as is the echoing synergy between the right-wing fringes of several countries.
More purposeful intervention like the concerted efforts of Evangelicals to reshape Uganda's laws on homosexuality is also something that has been going on in open view for ages.
The hateful propaganda has always been ours. Foreign actors definitely do their part to encourage it, but they wouldn't be able to start so many fires if we weren't so damn flammable.
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Comment on What are your favorite Dreamcast games? Any odd or unique ones worth playing? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentThanks for that, it was an excellent chance to revisit the game.Thanks for that, it was an excellent chance to revisit the game.
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Comment on What are your favorite Dreamcast games? Any odd or unique ones worth playing? in ~games
TMarkos LinkSkies of Arcadia was a favorite. The Gamecube version has a bit of extra content but the Dreamcast original still has all the stuff that makes it a classic. Such a good, unique RPG.Skies of Arcadia was a favorite. The Gamecube version has a bit of extra content but the Dreamcast original still has all the stuff that makes it a classic. Such a good, unique RPG.
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Comment on Taylor Swift cancels Eras Tour concerts in Vienna after terrorist plot thwarted and arrests made in ~music
TMarkos Link ParentThey're concerned with solutions over 12%, which have been regulated as precursors in the EU for a while. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02019R1148-20190711 They may...They're concerned with solutions over 12%, which have been regulated as precursors in the EU for a while.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02019R1148-20190711
They may have felt the need to make their own because of the laws requiring documentation for purchase of any reasonably-concentrated peroxide solution.
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Comment on Taylor Swift cancels Eras Tour concerts in Vienna after terrorist plot thwarted and arrests made in ~music
TMarkos Link ParentHydrogen peroxide is hilariously dangerous when undiluted. Most retail brands of it are at a 6% concentration, most laboratory formulations top out at around 30%. Once you start getting to a...Hydrogen peroxide is hilariously dangerous when undiluted. Most retail brands of it are at a 6% concentration, most laboratory formulations top out at around 30%. Once you start getting to a 60-70% solution you have to start being really careful handling it; pure or nearly-pure hydrogen peroxide is not a bomb ingredient, it is an explosive on its own - albeit not an ideal one. It can be used to create several other compounds that magnify that effect.
For those reasons, buying high-purity H2O2 is something that typically requires some licenses, inspections, etc. It is not something you could do as a private individual, to say nothing of a teenager who wanted to remain under the radar.
EDIT: another example: high-test peroxide (HTP, very pure peroxide) is used as rocket fuel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-test_peroxide -
Comment on 100 million times more difficult: revolutionary dual action antibiotic makes bacterial resistance nearly impossible in ~health
TMarkos Link ParentWith only one compound, the two mechanisms can't be prescribed independently. You are certain that the antibiotic is always present in its dual-action format so there is no chance of independent...With only one compound, the two mechanisms can't be prescribed independently. You are certain that the antibiotic is always present in its dual-action format so there is no chance of independent usage letting bacteria establish resistance to each in sequence. As long as it is possible to take, say, Fluoroquinolone by itself, then Fluoroquinolone resistance is a risk and the combo may eventually be compromised.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TMarkos LinkHaving a space-themed time lately, I did a playthrough of Empyrion Galactic Survival which was quite a lot of fun - the same itch as Space Engineers, but with more of a No Man's Sky exploration...Having a space-themed time lately, I did a playthrough of Empyrion Galactic Survival which was quite a lot of fun - the same itch as Space Engineers, but with more of a No Man's Sky exploration bent. When playing this game it is almost obligatory to use the Reforged Eden mod that is available on the Steam workshop, it enhances the vanilla experience considerably. It is more relaxed in several ways than Space Engineers, and more demanding in others; the PVE combat can be punishingly intense but I find that I prefer that to the SE paradigm where there is effectively no endgame challenge that does not involve PVP.
After coming to the end of that playthrough I did 30 hours or so of ΔV: Rings of Saturn, which is a delightfully atmospheric little hard sci-fi asteroid mining simulator. I had a lot of fun with the mechanics and getting my process down for pulling in large hauls. The endgame is currently pretty thin but there are plenty of easter eggs and little nuggets buried in there for folks who want to go exploring.
I can heartily recommend A Practical Guide to Sorcery by Azalea Ellis. Free to read online, although it's not quite done yet. It's not just about the school bits but the school is a major character in the narrative and should scratch that itch for you. A very well done book generally with fascinating worldbuilding.