Wes's recent activity
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Comment on Confused, uncool, and nowhere to scroll: The internet has become hostile for millennials like me in ~tech
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Comment on Confused, uncool, and nowhere to scroll: The internet has become hostile for millennials like me in ~tech
Wes Link ParentYeah, Deim has been very critical of venture capitalism as a business model. I know the user donations help, but I hope the site isn't costing him too much! I'd feel bad if he were working extra...Yeah, Deim has been very critical of venture capitalism as a business model. I know the user donations help, but I hope the site isn't costing him too much! I'd feel bad if he were working extra hours just so we could palaver here all day.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2023, a week-long charity fundraising event featuring speedruns, has begun in ~games
Wes Link ParentThanks for sharing an update! I felt the same urge to get one after watching the speedrun. Except I don't own the prerequisite Switch, and realistically, I have even less conviction in my own VR...Thanks for sharing an update! I felt the same urge to get one after watching the speedrun. Except I don't own the prerequisite Switch, and realistically, I have even less conviction in my own VR fitness goals.
Alas, I will have to exercise vicariously through others.
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Comment on Distrohoppers, what's your flavor this week? in ~comp
Wes LinkI rebuilt my PC late last year and installed Windows 11, but I was running Manjaro before. Eventually I'll get tired of Windows treating me more like an asset than a user and I'll probably jump...I rebuilt my PC late last year and installed Windows 11, but I was running Manjaro before. Eventually I'll get tired of Windows treating me more like an asset than a user and I'll probably jump back to Linux, and at that time I'll probably choose something Arch-based again. I know it's a meme and all, but I've just had the most luck with drivers and such versus Debian or RedHat flavours.
It seems there's been some migrations from Manjaro to EndeavourOS this last year though, so I think I'll wait to see if the winds are changing or if it's a passing fad. I've spent some time distro hopping before, trying some more novel options like Solus (which I'd no longer recommend as most of its leadership has left). It can be fun, but eventually you need to settle down to get some work done.
On the server side, I run Debian for most game servers, and CentOS for work/production servers. Next year CentOS 7 is ending support, so I'll need to decide if Rocky or Alma make more sense at that point.
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Comment on The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a love letter to fans of the franchise in ~games
Wes Link ParentYes, and I'd throw in Sam as well. Drummer works so well in the show because she cannibalizes the best parts of other characters.Yes, and I'd throw in Sam as well. Drummer works so well in the show because she cannibalizes the best parts of other characters.
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Comment on What is Metamodernism? The era that follows postmodernity in ~humanities
Wes Link ParentIn 2002, The Simpsons released a song making fun of themselves for running out of ideas. Is that metamodern?In 2002, The Simpsons released a song making fun of themselves for running out of ideas.
They'll Never Stop The Simpsons!
Have no fears, we've got stories for years, like
Marge becomes a robot,
Maybe Moe gets a cell phone, has Bart ever owned a bear?Is that metamodern?
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
Wes Link ParentI think a month is long enough, if not slightly too much. It's good to be considerate to people's time, but we also don't want to create too much distance from this original discussion. As you...Do you think a month is not long enough though?
I think a month is long enough, if not slightly too much. It's good to be considerate to people's time, but we also don't want to create too much distance from this original discussion. As you said the book is on the shorter side (224 pages, or 7 hours for the audio), so once people get it, I think it won't take too long to finish.
Mostly it's just a question of wait times. I have one person in front of me, but there's always the chance they return it early. May need to hear from the other readers to see what their wait times look like, but I'd say three weeks sounds about right.
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
Wes Link ParentThat sounds awesome, thanks for the ping. I'm on an estimated two week wait at OverDrive, so I might need to circle back once I've given it a read, but I'm looking forward to sharing in the...That sounds awesome, thanks for the ping. I'm on an estimated two week wait at OverDrive, so I might need to circle back once I've given it a read, but I'm looking forward to sharing in the discussion.
I'll hold off on reading anything online until I've been able to collect my own thoughts.
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Comment on Stalker | Full movie | Directed by Andrey Tarkovsky in ~movies
Wes Link ParentThat sounds like an amazing premise! Placing a hold at the library now.That sounds like an amazing premise! Placing a hold at the library now.
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Comment on Another update to Kagi plans - More searches and unlimited AI interactions for subscribers in ~tech
Wes Link Parent"Virtually unlimited searches" is close. It implies a caveat, but one that most users would not ever hit."Virtually unlimited searches" is close. It implies a caveat, but one that most users would not ever hit.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Wes Link ParentI agree completely, and that's my biggest turn off to PoE as well. The upgrade tree looks insane (no, really), but it's so punishing that making a mistake basically means starting over. Replaying...I agree completely, and that's my biggest turn off to PoE as well. The upgrade tree looks insane (no, really), but it's so punishing that making a mistake basically means starting over. Replaying dozens of hours of campaign content just to level up to max again. There just isn't enough time in the world for that.
I hope PoE 2 doesn't make all the same mistakes, but I think it's pretty inevitable that it will.
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Comment on Google Baseline does not answer crucial browser compatibility questions in ~comp
Wes Link ParentI didn't touch on it, but I actually agree with you about @layer. That was probably the strongest example where expectations don't align with recommendations. I'd hesitate to use it in production...I didn't touch on it, but I actually agree with you about @layer. That was probably the strongest example where expectations don't align with recommendations. I'd hesitate to use it in production now, with the possible exception of architecting a larger website that won't be launched for months yet.
Seeing some of the statistics, it makes me wonder about who these users are that aren't on evergreen update channels. Even some less-recent features like SharedArrayBuffer are only at 93%.
The one that's really killing me is :has() at 87%. Oh how I long for that selector. Come on Mozilla, make it happen already!
Still, things are a lot better in the era of evergreen browsers than they used to be. I'm sure a lot of these users are on older enterprise versions, or locked down hardware, and will create a "long tail" of support. But to see a brand new feature reach 90% so quickly is actually pretty incredible.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Wes Link ParentHope you don't mind, I'm going to hijack your comment briefly to gather my thoughts about Action RPGs. It's definitely an interesting genre. ARPGs are a lot of fun, but I find I get worn out on...Hope you don't mind, I'm going to hijack your comment briefly to gather my thoughts about Action RPGs.
It's definitely an interesting genre. ARPGs are a lot of fun, but I find I get worn out on them pretty quick.
I think part of the problem is that they're rather samey. If I were to compare gameplay of Diablo 3/4, Path of Exile, Last Epoch, and Wolcen, I'm not sure I'd even be able to tell them apart. I know dedicated fans would have no problem doing so, but from a distance they do play very similarly.
I'd like to see a take on the genre that experiments a little more. Maybe an attempt to bridge with other genres, or introduce new mechanics.
V Rising actually did this fairly well. It plays somewhat like an ARPG, but it has Terraria-esque progression and building mechanics. It doesn't offer that same infinite replayability as a Diablo might, but I almost welcome that. It's nice to finish a game and feel done with it.
Gauntlet (2014) came out a few years ago, and it was fun for a bit. The Wizard class felt like it had a fairly high skill ceiling. It was never able to scratch the same itch for me though that Gauntlet: Dark Legacy on the GameCube did. I'm actually tempted to give that one a replay, but I know the ~15fps will be too much more me to stomach today.
Modern ARPGs, I dunno, I just wish they had something more. Something to differentiate them. They vary mainly in terms of systems design: upgrade trees, build synergies, weapon augmenting, that sort of thing. I get the appeal of that stuff, but more in the sense of solving a hard problem than actually having fun.
I also have to say that the standard ARPG control scheme feels very inaccessible to me. Most ARPGs require the mouse for both movement and attacking, which I find creates a lot of wrist strain. I don't mind giving up a couple keys if it means I get to use WASD for movement. Plus, if they can make it work on a controller, then a keyboard should be no problem. Off the top of my head, only Victor Vran supports this control scheme, but I really expect more of modern releases.
So those are my current, somewhat conflicted feelings on the genre. Thanks for listening.
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Comment on Google Baseline does not answer crucial browser compatibility questions in ~comp
Wes Link ParentCascade layers are cool as heck by the way. Should be extremely useful for keeping specificity down, and avoiding some of the dumb hacks, unnecessary ID use, and !important spam in codebases. It...Cascade layers are cool as heck by the way. Should be extremely useful for keeping specificity down, and avoiding some of the dumb hacks, unnecessary ID use, and
!importantspam in codebases. It feels like the natural evolution of Harry Roberts' ITCSS approach to writing maintainable CSS. -
Comment on Google Baseline does not answer crucial browser compatibility questions in ~comp
Wes LinkI get the author's point, but it's a pretty minor quibble. Baseline is purposefully made to be an oversimplification. If your standards align with theirs (you target evergreen + latest Safari),...I get the author's point, but it's a pretty minor quibble. Baseline is purposefully made to be an oversimplification. If your standards align with theirs (you target evergreen + latest Safari), then it's an easier lookup reference than CanIUse. A yes or no is easier than comparing graphs and release dates.
If your needs are more specialized (eg. your audience is more focused in India and China), then you need to target the more niche browsers like UC Browser instead. I've worked on a few global sites and have had to make other considerations (such as Google's CDN being occasionally blocked by the Chinese GFW). Using CanIUse instead of Baseline in those situations really isn't a problem.
So it doesn't really seem like a big deal at all. Use whichever tool matches your own requirements. Baseline is only that: a baseline.
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Comment on Megathread #9 for news/updates/discussion of AI chatbots and image generators in ~tech
Wes Link ParentOops. I wrote a response to a now-deleted comment, so I'll reply to myself instead. It was definitely an interesting study! While it's not currently that useful as a communication assistance tool...Oops. I wrote a response to a now-deleted comment, so I'll reply to myself instead.
It was definitely an interesting study! While it's not currently that useful as a communication assistance tool (due to the MRI/heavy training requirement), it seems like this same methodology could be applied to other scanning technologies (EEG or PET). More optimistically, electrodes planted under the scalp might allow for portable use. Even if the sensitivity is lower, you could train it for an hour a day from home and begin to build a strong personalized model.
From there, it's easy to imagine hooking that up to a speaker or computer. Instead of slowly moving a cursor, as some BCI tools have done, you might be able to just think about the link you wish to click. That could be life changing for disabled individuals.
I agree, this is an unexpected yet somewhat obvious application for LLMs. Language is so universal, and so core to our human experience, that there's likely thousands of novel applications that are just waiting to be thought up.
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Comment on Megathread #9 for news/updates/discussion of AI chatbots and image generators in ~tech
Wes Link ParentIf I may respond to the title: no, it's not time to worry. This technique only works if: You spend time training the model to build a personalized profile of you You cooperate with the researcher...If I may respond to the title: no, it's not time to worry. This technique only works if:
- You spend time training the model to build a personalized profile of you
- You cooperate with the researcher to focus on simple, easy to parse phrases. Jumping your brain between topics only produces gibberish.
- You are physically within an MRI machine
Could a super villain use this in a TV setting? Maybe. Is it in any way feasible in real life? I don't think so.
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Comment on Megathread #9 for news/updates/discussion of AI chatbots and image generators in ~tech
Wes Linkggml seems to be becoming a more standard format for local LLMs, soon to support MosaicML. There is still a lot of breaking changes, but that's to be expected with any bleeding edge technology....ggml seems to be becoming a more standard format for local LLMs, soon to support MosaicML. There is still a lot of breaking changes, but that's to be expected with any bleeding edge technology. I'll take having to redownload a model or run a conversion script every so often if it means not committing to a bad standard.
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Comment on Liquid diet recommendations and tips? in ~health
Wes Link ParentHol has been pretty consistent since I've been ordering from them, about five years. I think you're probably thinking of a different company. Maybe Biolent? They had a more "earthy" flavour before...Hol has been pretty consistent since I've been ordering from them, about five years. I think you're probably thinking of a different company. Maybe Biolent? They had a more "earthy" flavour before going bust.
The tubs are pretty big. If you're not sure though, I'd wait for Canada Day. They usually have a 10% off coupon.
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Comment on Liquid diet recommendations and tips? in ~health
Wes Link ParentI'm a big fan of Hol Food here in Canada. They tend to run sales around Canada Day, New Years, and Black Friday. The chocolate is pretty good, if you're into that. The vanilla is closer to "plain"...I'm in Canada and last I checked Soylent was the best option here
I'm a big fan of Hol Food here in Canada. They tend to run sales around Canada Day, New Years, and Black Friday. The chocolate is pretty good, if you're into that. The vanilla is closer to "plain" and might need a flavour mixin.
It's powder, not RTD (ready-to-drink), so you will need a blender bottle.
I seem to recall that too. I wasn't so much worried about a shutdown as us being a drain on our favourite admin. But if it's breaking even (or even generating a reserve), then all the better.
We'll have to see if this influx of users adjusts the calculus at all. I did notice a brief downtime earlier, but the site feels nice and speedy right now.