Tum's recent activity

  2. Comment on Keyboard thread in ~hobbies

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    I've had a Wooting 60HW for about 1/2 a year. The magnetic switches have an insane response time - which is great for FPS games - and typing is very responsive, almost like a low profile dome cap...

    I've had a Wooting 60HW for about 1/2 a year. The magnetic switches have an insane response time - which is great for FPS games - and typing is very responsive, almost like a low profile dome cap keyboard like the Mac Keyboard.

    I'm using the stock layout without a different case or keycaps, but am very happy so far.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on What are we in the golden age of? in ~talk

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    Sometimes there is so much it feels like there's a paradox of choice going on: I sometimes feel I just don't know where to start! So far the most fertile ground for new music is Spotify 'Made for...

    Sometimes there is so much it feels like there's a paradox of choice going on: I sometimes feel I just don't know where to start! So far the most fertile ground for new music is Spotify 'Made for you' or, to be more specific, KHRUANGBIN VIBES YouTube channel.

    If there's anything that's grabbed your attention recently, please share!

    6 votes

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    Door Kickers 2 It's a super fun top down tactical shooter that plays like a puzzle game. I've been playing it with a friend, and we have really different approaches to the game: I usually play...

    Door Kickers 2

    It's a super fun top down tactical shooter that plays like a puzzle game. I've been playing it with a friend, and we have really different approaches to the game:

    I usually play with at least 1 heavily armored guy with a silenced sub machine gun supported by a guy with a sniper rifle: I plan out my route, placing pause markers so that my squad covers each other when moving, then flash into a room and neutralise the enemies.

    My friend plays much more instinctively and with brute force: he runs with shotguns and when he finds an obstacle he will either bash his way through it, or around it; placing shaped charges on walls or buildings he wants to blow up, then throws frag grenades over the back and breaches into the front.

    It's really satisfying when the plan comes together, and also fun to retry particularly difficult maps.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Barrett .50 Cal. in ~games

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    While everyone knows about the Barrett .50 cal I feel like the GM6 Lynx is a better gun for what it does. Here is a video at the range. It's compactness and portability makes it easier to carry on...

    While everyone knows about the Barrett .50 cal I feel like the GM6 Lynx is a better gun for what it does. Here is a video at the range.

    It's compactness and portability makes it easier to carry on foot, and being a long stroke bullpup makes it fairly unique.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Steam Winter Sale recommendations in ~games

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    I've been gaming since the 1990s: the games that had the largest impact on me were AoE 2, Warcraft 3 and Counter-Strike. In particular, Warcraft 3 and Counter-Strike custom maps (so many I lose...

    I've been gaming since the 1990s: the games that had the largest impact on me were AoE 2, Warcraft 3 and Counter-Strike. In particular, Warcraft 3 and Counter-Strike custom maps (so many I lose track!). I'm still interested in old classics if you had any in mind.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on Steam Winter Sale recommendations in ~games

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    Hello everyone, With the commencement of the steam winter sale, I'd like to know of any games on sale that you'd consider a must buy. My current, long term addiction is Wargame: Red Dragon...

    Hello everyone,

    With the commencement of the steam winter sale, I'd like to know of any games on sale that you'd consider a must buy. My current, long term addiction is Wargame: Red Dragon (A$7.49/80% off), but am always on the look out for great new games.

    Door Kickers (A$ 7.37/75% off) is a great fun top-down shooter that plays like a puzzle game. There is 2-man multiplayer and a sequel, but I suggest trying out the first one to get a feel for it.

    4 votes

  11. Comment on What does an "optimal" democratic system look like to you? in ~talk

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    Clarification: I prefer the 2/3 over 3/4 parliamentary majority because if you make the parliamentary threshold far higher than the referendum threshold then it could simply lead to abuse of...

    Clarification:

    I prefer the 2/3 over 3/4 parliamentary majority because if you make the parliamentary threshold far higher than the referendum threshold then it could simply lead to abuse of referendums.

    I stated that this is my ideal representative democracy: I personally prefer parliamentary democracy over direct democracies, and abuse of referendums could simply lead to a poorly designed direct democracy. The referendum mechanism is intended to be check against government rather than a key part of it.

    Also, please note that it’s not just the election mechanism that’s protected: any proposed law needs to go through parliament in the correct way. Any changes to this process or to the election mechanism must explicitly be made known to parliament: specifically the exact clause modifying the constitution. Failure to do this invalidates the law. If this conflicts with the public interest, then the public can compel a referendum on the issue at or before the next election.

  14. Comment on Artosis, esports casting godfather, moves on in ~games

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    I think vanilla SC2 was pretty cool: the queen was a really cool unit that really felt like 'zerg'. I didn't like the expansion units as much, and maybe they didn't spend the same time polishing...

    I think vanilla SC2 was pretty cool: the queen was a really cool unit that really felt like 'zerg'. I didn't like the expansion units as much, and maybe they didn't spend the same time polishing as they did on the stand-alone game; however that's a subjective take.

    I still watch SC1: shout out to Falcon Paladin. I particularly enjoy watching ZvT and ZvP.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Unvaccinated vs vaccinated protection from COVID in ~health

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    All good, having trusted news sources means you don't have to laboriously verify everything that is said because it might be biased. Good sources trade on their reputation, so have a lot to lose...

    All good, having trusted news sources means you don't have to laboriously verify everything that is said because it might be biased. Good sources trade on their reputation, so have a lot to lose pushing misinformation. The guy in the video is a random dude who seems to be promoting his personal website, and from what I've seen there is a lot of money to be made promoting anti-vax content. These are all red flags.

    The reason I gave him the benefit of the doubt is that throughout his talk he showed graphs from particular papers and referenced Nature magazine (which I consider to be a good source). I am also interested in the policy implications of his conclusions, and the discussion around that is what prompted me to post it.

    Also, no offence taken: we are talking about vaccines which literally save lives. There is a lot at stake, and misinformation can cause real damage.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Unvaccinated vs vaccinated protection from COVID in ~health

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    So I posted this thinking of two possibilities: The content was correct and backed up by credible sources (which I thought Nature would be) If the content was correct, what policy implications...

    So I posted this thinking of two possibilities:

    • The content was correct and backed up by credible sources (which I thought Nature would be)

    • If the content was correct, what policy implications could it have

    As far as I'm concerned: good science comes from sound data with sound interpretation. If what he was talking about was correct then I'm less concerned with who is presenting the data than the underlying data itself. Yes, I agree that the tendency of conspiracy theorists (and their news sources) to push lies to mitigate inconvenient truths is a real problem, but my concern is that there could be scientists discrediting the notion that immunity derived from natural immunity might be more effective than first generation covid vaccines. I want to be clear: even if this is true, my initial response would still be to vaccinate everyone because the possibility of saving lives and lack of data to point to the contrary just wasn't available.

    My point is that there is conflicting self-interest from both sides on this topic in particular, so hoped that posting it would generate some critical analysis from what I view to be a sceptical, well educated audience.

  17. Comment on Unvaccinated vs vaccinated protection from COVID in ~health

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    Thanks for the reply. I was also pretty apprehensive going into it, however one of my biggest fears recently is the possibility that my information sources are becoming warped by group bias. My...

    Thanks for the reply. I was also pretty apprehensive going into it, however one of my biggest fears recently is the possibility that my information sources are becoming warped by group bias. My impression is that tildes membership is predominantly educated and trusts official sources, while my impression of the guy in the video and the audience he is talking to seems to be conspiracy theorists and those who don't trust official sources.

    The conclusions he draws are an interesting thought experiment, though. If it is the case that getting Covid rather than the vaccine is as effective from an immune response point of view, then how would that affect public health policy? Where would the trade off be when the risk of someone becoming seriously ill or dying from not taking the vaccine are worth the supposed immune benefits? How would it affect 'covid certificates' for some jobs?

  18. Comment on Unvaccinated vs vaccinated protection from COVID in ~health

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    An interesting video discussing the effectiveness of vaccines and natural immunity over time. There are sources (such as Nature) in the youtube link. Please feel free to comment on any questions,...

    An interesting video discussing the effectiveness of vaccines and natural immunity over time. There are sources (such as Nature) in the youtube link.

    Please feel free to comment on any questions, inconsistencies or mistakes you find. Mine are:

    • Is getting an unvaccinated Covid infection every 2 years as severe as being periodically vaccinated
    • Is there a tradeoff based on age: if under a certain age you should not get the vaccine to build your immune system, while older you should?
    • What requirements should be for health professionals treating immune compromised patients?