TMarkos's recent activity
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Comment on Are there any games that had their development abandoned that you followed where you wish that continued/completed development? in ~games
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Comment on How Finland's forest fruits became a criminal industry – Nordic berries are big business but human trafficking and market rigging have revealed the unpalatable truth behind the superfood boom in ~food
TMarkos LinkArchived: https://archive.is/iAsODArchived:
https://archive.is/iAsOD -
Comment on Friday Facts #441 - Space logistics improvements in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentI am hopeful there will be a group prioritization mod or feature. Being able to set the launch order would be super useful.I am hopeful there will be a group prioritization mod or feature. Being able to set the launch order would be super useful.
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Comment on Friday Facts #441 - Space logistics improvements in ~games
TMarkos LinkSome really excellent fixes to rockets and platform logistics there!Some really excellent fixes to rockets and platform logistics there!
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Comment on The rise of build-to-rent housing in ~finance
TMarkos Link ParentI did do my research - the median property tax in the US peaks at about 10k for some wealthier areas but it's far below that almost everywhere. Those wealthier areas have higher rents and lower...I did do my research - the median property tax in the US peaks at about 10k for some wealthier areas but it's far below that almost everywhere. Those wealthier areas have higher rents and lower proportions of renters. Very few people are renting houses that are in established, high wealth communities, and nobody is doing btr there. These btr developments are largely new, modest houses in low-CoL areas.
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Comment on The rise of build-to-rent housing in ~finance
TMarkos Link ParentCiting property tax is a bit disingenuous when property taxes are almost always an order of magnitude lower than rents. A typical single family home in the US will pay something like $1-3k yearly...Citing property tax is a bit disingenuous when property taxes are almost always an order of magnitude lower than rents. A typical single family home in the US will pay something like $1-3k yearly depending on value and location, but that same house will likely rent for close to that value monthly. Far more money leaves the community than is returned via taxes.
And the money leaving the community is precisely what is concerning. If the landlord was local, even a local company, then the money would remain and continue to bolster local business and trade. Local landlords would tend to spend it locally. Renting to a national corporation instead siphons the money off who-knows-where and provides little benefit to the local economy.
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Comment on Is AI profitable yet? in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentIt's not a sustainable stimulus though, because all of the money being plowed into data centers is in the construction and shipping right now. That may be a temporary boost to the economy, but...It's not a sustainable stimulus though, because all of the money being plowed into data centers is in the construction and shipping right now. That may be a temporary boost to the economy, but once it's all done then you're left with large facilities that employ very few people, suck up a bunch of water and power from underserved areas, and are generally a parasitic drag on the areas in which they are built.
I feel like there is a bit of a frantic effort to cast data center build outs in a good light by tech aligned actors, because the reality of the situation is that people don't like them, they don't want them to be built near them, and a lot of tech companies are getting fairly alarmed at the amount of passed and proposed legislation that seeks to bar or heavily restrict data centers from being built.
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Comment on Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water in ~enviro
TMarkos LinkThis feels more performative than effective. The problem is people using more water than the area can provide. Tapping into groundwater is ultimately a limited-term solution since it doesn't...This feels more performative than effective. The problem is people using more water than the area can provide. Tapping into groundwater is ultimately a limited-term solution since it doesn't increase the total amount of potable water accessible, it just depletes reserves that won't replenish. The only real solution that escapes the zero-sum problem is mass desalination but that's a lot more complex/expensive than cleaning out a hole in the ground.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
TMarkos LinkThe other archive link isn't working for me, so here is an alternative. https://archive.is/8Exgw I went in expecting yet another hot take on AI but this one really did a good job. The idea of...The other archive link isn't working for me, so here is an alternative. https://archive.is/8Exgw
I went in expecting yet another hot take on AI but this one really did a good job. The idea of creating personalized faux-culture facsimiles complete with the bare illusion of community is something I think is quite likely with the current trajectory of AI. I found Daniel Kwan's idea about us playing jenga to be apt - my first wording was to say I liked it, but I really don't, it's pretty alarming.
I think the problem with AI is exactly what the author notes at the very end - that it is swaddling and confirming, not surprising. It will rarely confront you with something that forces examination or change. It might be made different, I suppose, but I doubt there will be much demand for an AI that forces you to reexamine yourself.
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Comment on List animals until failure in ~games
TMarkos Link204 - was a fun exercise. I had about three moments of "oh yeah, those are animals too." Spoiler Dinosaurs work! Also be sure to list Human.204 - was a fun exercise. I had about three moments of "oh yeah, those are animals too."
Spoiler
Dinosaurs work! Also be sure to list Human. -
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TMarkos LinkI've been going through another playthrough of Stationeers, this time a brutal Mimas start with all ices removed from the map. The challenge with Mimas is that the usual power sources of solar and...I've been going through another playthrough of Stationeers, this time a brutal Mimas start with all ices removed from the map. The challenge with Mimas is that the usual power sources of solar and wind are not viable, so your power infrastructure is a lot more involved and active than the rest of the maps. Iceless on a vacuum world means you're initially scrounging for every bit of gas you can save, and it's essential to get a good greenhouse up in order to do oxygen conversion and generate biomass for volatiles. I'm pretty well established now and am enjoying it a lot, I still have a few more advanced bits of gas generation and material processing stuff to set up before I start to call this playthrough complete.
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Comment on Saudi funded 3SIX9 Studios reveals slate including Woody Allen, John Boyega, Maxi Iglesias and Arnaud Desplechin films in ~movies
TMarkos LinkAlways disappointed to hear Woody Allen is still getting work.Always disappointed to hear Woody Allen is still getting work.
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Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
TMarkos Link ParentMy first step for making any baked good is usually to check King Arthur's recipe as a baseline!My first step for making any baked good is usually to check King Arthur's recipe as a baseline!
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Comment on How I rebooted my social life in ~life
TMarkos Link ParentMeetup is a service - www.meetup.com. It's a decent way to find people if you're starting from nothing.Meetup is a service - www.meetup.com. It's a decent way to find people if you're starting from nothing.
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Comment on Other people might just not have your problems in ~life
TMarkos Link ParentI think there is often a kind of moral valence to the statement that somebody is or is not good at a certain thing, because often those things that we're not good at are traits that are associated...- Exemplary
I think there is often a kind of moral valence to the statement that somebody is or is not good at a certain thing, because often those things that we're not good at are traits that are associated with positive social behavior or positive morality. Often we try to mold ourselves into people irrespective of the underlying disposition that we hold, and it can make people very unhappy when they don't fit into the mold that they think they should fit into.
The article does a good job of stripping that away and just focusing on the mismatch between somebody's brain and what that person wants to do with the brain. I'm not going to say it's a simple problem to solve, at the end of the day, but it certainly is a lot simpler when you don't also have to deal with all of the baggage that typically comes along with it.
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Comment on Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia (2025) in ~music
TMarkos LinkNeat music video. I was going to be listening to the album on repeat in the car courtesy of my wife regardless of quality, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was this catchy. Pretty...Neat music video. I was going to be listening to the album on repeat in the car courtesy of my wife regardless of quality, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was this catchy.
Pretty sure the shot in the beginning is meant to reference Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
TMarkos LinkI have jumped back into Stationeers now that they've released a big update to terrain and some other things, it's a wonderful survival simulator that will kill you dead a hundred different ways....I have jumped back into Stationeers now that they've released a big update to terrain and some other things, it's a wonderful survival simulator that will kill you dead a hundred different ways. The math can be intimidating at first but it's very rewarding to build little gizmos and watch them do what you wanted them to do. One of my favorite survival/craft/build games.
I am early days on this new playthrough but so far the terrain is a huge improvement, the handcrafted maps make the planets much more distinctive and interesting to run around in. I'm on Vulcan and there's this squiggly maze of lava tubes right below my base, and I'm on a larger plateau that's surrounded by glowing lava lakes. It's super cool in a non-literal way.
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Comment on What are your favorite casual puzzle games? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentYou won't regret it! I think the puzzles don't innovate over top of TP1 all that much but they're all neat, especially the DLC puzzles - the DLC is handily worth it but it doesn't impact primary...You won't regret it! I think the puzzles don't innovate over top of TP1 all that much but they're all neat, especially the DLC puzzles - the DLC is handily worth it but it doesn't impact primary gameplay at all, so it's fine to give it a pass until you know if you're vibing with the game.
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Comment on What are your favorite casual puzzle games? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentTalos Principle is a wonderful franchise. TP2 in particular is just a beautiful, beautiful game. It's rare that a puzzle game has such a good story, and in TP2 the dialog options are actually...Talos Principle is a wonderful franchise. TP2 in particular is just a beautiful, beautiful game. It's rare that a puzzle game has such a good story, and in TP2 the dialog options are actually engaging/thoughtful in a way I seldom see. Characters comment if you choose philosophically inconsistent answers, and there was one dialog in particular with Yaqut where not only did you have to make a convincing argument, but the game actually had options for the precise argument that I wanted to make in that scenario. A+ work all around.
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Comment on What are your favorite casual puzzle games? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentCame here to recommend Tametsi. It's deceptively tricky if you're going for the no-errors clears.Came here to recommend Tametsi. It's deceptively tricky if you're going for the no-errors clears.
I'm excited about it, they've got a lot of the most prolific modders and a few devs from KSP on board and everything looks really good thus far. I'm a huge fan of Stationeers as well and they've done such a good job with continuing development there, so I hope KSA gets the same treatment.