ToteRose's recent activity
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Comment on What is your favourite shark? in ~talk
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Comment on What is your favourite shark? in ~talk
ToteRose Link ParentDuh, emotional support sharks are still sharks.Duh, emotional support sharks are still sharks.
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What is your favourite shark?
I've been working on an ocean life repository website for work, and I found myself randomly rambling about sharks because they've always been such a fascinating example to me of how evolution can...
I've been working on an ocean life repository website for work, and I found myself randomly rambling about sharks because they've always been such a fascinating example to me of how evolution can keep a very recognizable blueprint while splitting into a ridiculous range of lifestyles.
A whale shark, a thresher shark, an angelshark, a tiger shark, a goblin shark, and a reef shark all still read instantly as "shark", and yet they're doing such different things that it almost feels wrong. Filter-feeding giants, ambush predators, open-water hunters, deep-sea weirdos, tail-whip specialists. All while still sticking to this unmistakable shark... ness?
I've been trying to pin down what I even mean by that "blueprint". Not just body shape exactly, but some deeper structural identity that survives a lot of diversification. Other groups feel a bit like this too. Felines, canines, birds… they can branch into very different niches, sizes, and behaviors while still feeling strongly constrained by a common template. A tiger, a lynx, and a house cat are all very clearly "cat". Wolves, foxes, and chihuahuas are very clearly "dog". Canaries, hawks, parrots, and hummingbirds are all still "bird".
It fascinates me how common this is in evolution: nature finding one robust structure and then radiating outward in very different directions without losing the core design. Not the most morphologically extreme variation possible, maybe, but variation under a very conserved plan.
Sharks just feel like one of the wildest examples of that.
So: what's everyone's favourite shark, and why?
Mine is probably either the lemon shark or the thresher shark because of how smart they are. Lemon sharks are fascinating for their social behavior and learning, then threshers are incredible both for that absurd tail and for feeling like such a weirdly specialized, clever branch of the shark blueprint.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
ToteRose LinkI've been obsessed with this rhythm game called UNBEATABLE and I cannot stop listening to their OST.I've been obsessed with this rhythm game called UNBEATABLE and I cannot stop listening to their OST.
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Comment on Reddit will implement human verification to tag and combat bots in ~tech
ToteRose Link ParentI do get where you're coming from, and I think your example is a bit different from a general "hide post history" feature. In your case, you're deleting old comments because they feel stale or no...I do get where you're coming from, and I think your example is a bit different from a general "hide post history" feature.
In your case, you're deleting old comments because they feel stale or no longer relevant, which makes sense. People change, and really old comments may not reflect who you are anymore. Hiding your entire history is a little different, though, because it hides everything, both recent and old.
The other difference is that deleted comments are much harder for the average person to dig back up, while hidden comments (on Reddit) are usually only hidden from your profile. People can still come across them through the original post, replies, or their feed.
So I can understand wanting to clean up old stuff, but I still think "hiding all activity" is a different thing from just removing outdated comments.
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Comment on Reddit will implement human verification to tag and combat bots in ~tech
ToteRose Link ParentMaybe this is the case for these two but Meta is now investing a hell ton of money on real ID verifications systems and that's because bots don't sell as good when it comes to ads. Knowing who is...Maybe this is the case for these two but Meta is now investing a hell ton of money on real ID verifications systems and that's because bots don't sell as good when it comes to ads. Knowing who is behind an account and knowing IT IS someone makes your platform value for advertisement way more valuable than just sheer ammount of traffic you get. We'll see which approach seems to be the one that stays afloat... I'm not a fan of either but the internet's enshittification seems unavoidable for these big websites/social medias.
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Comment on Reddit will implement human verification to tag and combat bots in ~tech
ToteRose Link ParentI never understood this change. If you're posting things you're ashamed of or that you don't want people to see on your profile why post them to begin with?I never understood this change. If you're posting things you're ashamed of or that you don't want people to see on your profile why post them to begin with?
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Comment on Reddit will implement human verification to tag and combat bots in ~tech
ToteRose Link ParentYeah, at least there's some kind of human filtering there but I've seen it where there's multiple bots being monitored by someone (or someones) and that seems like a bigger issue. For example, in...Yeah, at least there's some kind of human filtering there but I've seen it where there's multiple bots being monitored by someone (or someones) and that seems like a bigger issue. For example, in Rocket League there seems to be more and more bots every day to the point where it's more usual that you run into a match with bots than real people (like 80/20 kind of percentage) and these bots sometimes get controled by real people. I asume one person is in charge of monitoring like a bunch of them to maybe correct something, bypass some sort of anticheats or maybe just because they're bored? I don't know the real reasson behind it but it's really clear when a bot is active and when a human is taking control and there's still a problematic ammount of bots.
(edit: minor spelling corrections)
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Comment on Reddit will implement human verification to tag and combat bots in ~tech
ToteRose Link ParentThis is already kind of my case. The only "social media" I actively interact with is here on Tildes and discord servers I've made with either friends I've met for years or new people I find on...This is already kind of my case. The only "social media" I actively interact with is here on Tildes and discord servers I've made with either friends I've met for years or new people I find on online videogames, which seem to be a better human verification than most others lol.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ToteRose LinkI've been playing UNBEATABLE, and even though I've only finished the first three chapters so far, I'm already kind of obsessed with it. The biggest thing for me is that it feels nostalgic in this...I've been playing UNBEATABLE, and even though I've only finished the first three chapters so far, I'm already kind of obsessed with it.
The biggest thing for me is that it feels nostalgic in this really weird dreamlike way. Not nostalgic because it reminds me of another game exactly, but more like it feels familiar emotionally, like I've been there somehow. Beat especially gives me that feeling. I feel connected to her while also feeling just as lost and new to the world as she is.
It's not the most polished game ever, and the writing so far isn't some mindblowing masterpiece or anything, but that's weirdly part of why I like it so much. It feels human. More real than a lot of bigger, “better-made” AAA games.
The visual style is also ridiculously good. The Paper Mario-ish flat look mixed with anime and pop-punk aesthetics is basically perfect for me. The animation and UI are super stylish too. Sometimes there's almost too much going on, but when you get into the rhythm of it all, it just adds so much energy.
I'm also not really a rhythm game person, so I appreciate that the controls are simple, even if the songs can still get surprisingly hard. And the music is absolutely carrying the game for me in the best possible way. A few tracks are just okay, especially some of the more ambient ones, but most of the soundtrack is incredible. Some of these songs are so full of emotion that I genuinely don't even know how to explain why they hit as hard as they do.
Character-wise, I wouldn't say they're super deep yet, but they are very easy to like. Beat and Treble especially feel really relatable to me. Their personalities feel natural, and the group dynamic just feels like actually hanging out with friends. That matters a lot.
My only real concern right now is that the story might end up being a little bland or predictable, or maybe not as deep as I'm hoping. But at the same time, everything about the game feels like it was made with so much love and attention that I'm willing to trust it for now.
So yeah, early impressions only, but I'm loving it. It feels emotional, stylish, sincere, and totally unique in a way I really wasn't expecting.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
ToteRose LinkI've been working on a pretty big internal project at work. We're a web development/marketing company and for years we've been building sites on the same legacy base, mostly basic PHP and Smarty...I've been working on a pretty big internal project at work. We're a web development/marketing company and for years we've been building sites on the same legacy base, mostly basic PHP and Smarty templates, so now I'm moving that into a more OOP-based structure and set up a unit testing foundation for future projects.
The long-term idea is even bigger than just cleaning up old code. We want to build our own kind of WordPress-style internal system where we can create websites using reusable blocks we've developed over the years, but also use it to handle other internal processes around site setup and management. So a lot of what I'm doing now is basically laying the groundwork for that.
At the moment I've already migrated one full legacy PHP file and also built a system that lets us edit templates using DOMDocument, which has been pretty interesting. Right now I'm especially focused on unit testing, because that's new territory for me in a real work environment.
The hardest part has honestly been a mix of things: understanding all the little details in the legacy code, keeping backward compatibility, and kind of relearning OOP properly after being stuck in older code patterns for so long. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes, but in a good way. I usually clear my head by switching to smaller tasks for a bit and then coming back to the bigger architecture stuff.
It's not a personal project, so I have to stay a little vague, but I'm excited about it because it's useful for us and also pushing me to learn a lot of things I hadn't really used in practice before.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ToteRose LinkI reinstalled Lightyear Frontier because I was looking for something chill to play, remembered I had a great time with it back when played the first playable version back in 2024, so I mostly came...I reinstalled Lightyear Frontier because I was looking for something chill to play, remembered I had a great time with it back when played the first playable version back in 2024, so I mostly came back out of curiosity to see what had changed but then saw that it's going to abandon GamePass in less than a week.
The first thing that stood out to me is the world design. I haven't explored that much yet, but there are already way more places that look genuinely stunning. The art style itself feels the same, which is good because I already liked it, but the overall design of the world feels much stronger now. It gives the impression of being a much bigger and more interesting place, even from just the little I've seen so far.
In terms of game feel, it honestly feels very similar to what I remember, and I mean that in a positive way. What does make exploration more fun now is the addition of fuel materials for that extra boost. It adds a little more momentum to moving around the world and makes exploring feel more playful.
What I'm enjoying most right now is still the open world itself, because it's just really pretty to be in, but I also really like the new mission system. It gives the game a nicer sense of direction without ruining the relaxed vibe. I'm also really excited to get further in and start messing with automation. The building is another huge improvement for me. Back in 2024 we just had a few premade assets to place, while now you can actually make a base your own. Being able to build more freely and even paint each panel individually adds a lot.
The only small complaint I have so far is with the fuel items: as far as I can tell, if you have them in your inventory, you kind of just use them. It hasn't actually caused problems because materials seem pretty abundant, but I do feel like I'm wasting a ton by just moving around my base in the mech when I don't really need the boost.
What's interesting is that even back in 2024, I didn't think it felt especially "early access" apart from the limited amount of items and the online being a bit buggy. But now, after only a few hours, it already feels like I have as many options as I used to have near the end of my time with that older version, which is kind of amazing. I haven't tried multiplayer again yet, so I can't compare that part.
Overall, I'm having a really good time with it. I don't really have anything negative to say beyond that one small fuel annoyance. It's just a very pleasant game to come back to, and I'm having fun seeing how much more there is to do now. It still has the same chill feeling I liked before, but with way more depth and freedom.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
ToteRose Link ParentYay, Megalo Box mentioned! :D I recently watched it on Prime video and was honestly worth every minute. It has that Cowboy Bebop kinda vibe with good pacing and the melancholy/reflective tone on...Yay, Megalo Box mentioned! :D
I recently watched it on Prime video and was honestly worth every minute. It has that Cowboy Bebop kinda vibe with good pacing and the melancholy/reflective tone on season two can hit pretty hard if you can connect to it.
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Comment on Discord: Getting global age assurance right: what we got wrong and what's changing in ~tech
ToteRose LinkAm I the only one who’s having a hard time seeing how these new age-verification laws actually protect minors? From what I understand, adults will still be able to access everything kids can. And...Am I the only one who’s having a hard time seeing how these new age-verification laws actually protect minors?
From what I understand, adults will still be able to access everything kids can. And if verified spaces become adults-only, doesn't that just create a separate hangout for adults while pushing minors into fewer remaining spaces and potentially making those spaces more risky for them? I'm totally on board with keeping teens out of explicitly adult channels. I just don't see how this aproach tackles the real problem, unless I'm missing something.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
ToteRose LinkI've been quite busy for personal reasons and haven't been able to keep up with all of you people's progress/projects, could anyone be so lovely to make a summary of what's happened these past two...I've been quite busy for personal reasons and haven't been able to keep up with all of you people's progress/projects, could anyone be so lovely to make a summary of what's happened these past two weeks? I've been reading all the comments here and there because there are some interesting things, but it's hard to keep track of everything!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ToteRose Link ParentThey have! And normally they are really fun to play but just end up dying after a year with a few exceptions. Some names from the top of my head are SMITE, Gigantic, Predecessor and, a bit of a...the third person shooter is so well suited for the MOBA gameplay that I'm surprised no one else has tried
They have! And normally they are really fun to play but just end up dying after a year with a few exceptions. Some names from the top of my head are SMITE, Gigantic, Predecessor and, a bit of a stretch, Overwatch Stadium mode.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
ToteRose Link ParentThat looks so much proper than anything I could've done, honestly. Probably took longer to do that than the actual farm itself!That looks so much proper than anything I could've done, honestly. Probably took longer to do that than the actual farm itself!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
ToteRose Link ParentThe latter, I've never really done one so if you don't have time or don't get to do it I'll give it a try!Also I wanted to double check, when you said you could also do the elevator up for loot and storage. Is that because you'd like to do it or was it more a "if you don't get to it I also don't mind giving it a go"?
The latter, I've never really done one so if you don't have time or don't get to do it I'll give it a try!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
ToteRose Link ParentThe elevator is already way better than what I had so thank you! You got me curious about the markings lol.The elevator is already way better than what I had so thank you!
You got me curious about the markings lol.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
ToteRose Link ParentI'm glad it's going to be of some use for anyone other than me lol. I was afraid I'm the only one who'll use it!I'm glad it's going to be of some use for anyone other than me lol. I was afraid I'm the only one who'll use it!
I think I was born a bit too late to have caught them on TV. But I can see it, hammerheads are cool! We get them on our shores pretty often, they're even bigger in real life than what they look like in the cartoon...