Akir's recent activity
-
Comment on Any cool coding languages? in ~comp
-
Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
Akir Link ParentHonestly I’m kind of thinking that paid social services are the best way to go. I keep thinking about how the WELL is still running in spite of costing $15/month. I can’t see what is happening in...Honestly I’m kind of thinking that paid social services are the best way to go. I keep thinking about how the WELL is still running in spite of costing $15/month. I can’t see what is happening in those conferences but something is keeping it going!
-
Comment on Honey gets terminated as lawsuits proceed in ~tech
Akir Link ParentUnless things have changed, it's 2% if you use Apple Pay specifically, and 1% for everything else. Entering your numbers or swiping the physical card will not get you that 2%.Unless things have changed, it's 2% if you use Apple Pay specifically, and 1% for everything else. Entering your numbers or swiping the physical card will not get you that 2%.
-
Comment on Choosing a printer in ~tech
Akir Link ParentXerox doesn't get a lot of attention because they don't really have a "home" printer lineup. They do have cheapish office printers that are pretty good for home use, but they don't target the home...Xerox doesn't get a lot of attention because they don't really have a "home" printer lineup. They do have cheapish office printers that are pretty good for home use, but they don't target the home market.
That's probably a good thing; pretty much every "consumer grade" printer I've dealt with was shit. Brother's lauded laser printers are just less shitty than the competition, but I wouldn't necessarily call them "good" let alone "great". Compared to my memory of how they were, it seems like they produce less crisp and with less consistent tone, especially when dealing with shades of grey.
The consumer printer market is in a continuous race to the bottom, and it seems like the small business sector is pretty close to it as well, in my personal experience. Small office printers seem to always have pretty short support lifespans and so, just like with consumer printers, if something goes wrong the best solution is usually to just buy an entirely new one, chucking the old one into the e-waste bin.
-
Comment on Browser fingerprinting demonstration in ~comp
Akir Link ParentI honestly think that anything that exists to expand the domain of the browser sandbox is probably an API that shouldn't exist. The fact that a browser can access USB and serial devices, for...I honestly think that anything that exists to expand the domain of the browser sandbox is probably an API that shouldn't exist. The fact that a browser can access USB and serial devices, for instance, is nifty and all that, but it's also another potential attack vector regardless of how many security mitigations get put into place, makes it harder to make a compatible browser if you are not riding on Chrome's coattails (further increasing Google's influence across the tech industry at the same time), and frankly are just unnecessary.
-
Comment on What are your thoughts on audiobooks? in ~books
Akir LinkI have done audiobooks in the past. They're OK but they have the same fundamental problem as podcasts; they require me to have long periods of time where I am not focusing on anything.I have done audiobooks in the past. They're OK but they have the same fundamental problem as podcasts; they require me to have long periods of time where I am not focusing on anything.
-
Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
Akir LinkA local store started selling “Q dougan”. Dougan is a spicy dried tofu snack. It’s a hard chewy treat that is kind of like a (often but not always) vegan version of beef jerky. This kind is “Q”...A local store started selling “Q dougan”. Dougan is a spicy dried tofu snack. It’s a hard chewy treat that is kind of like a (often but not always) vegan version of beef jerky. This kind is “Q” because it’s soft, which is a very odd thing for this to be, but I find it to be really great textural variation that makes it really hard to stop eating.
-
Comment on Choosing a printer in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI also had a LaserJet 4, complete with the network interface. I literally printed entire books with the thing. It was amazing. It’s so sad that modern printers don’t do that, though to be fair...I also had a LaserJet 4, complete with the network interface. I literally printed entire books with the thing. It was amazing. It’s so sad that modern printers don’t do that, though to be fair they are much cheaper today than that thing was. It looks like the MSRP was over $2000 at launch, and with inflation it would look more like $5000! It turns out there was a reason why we got that thing used.
-
Comment on What we lost when we quit using crappy old web forums in ~tech
Akir Link ParentAOL actually predated the internet. It was originally an online network in the same general vein as prodigy and GEnie.AOL actually predated the internet. It was originally an online network in the same general vein as prodigy and GEnie.
-
Comment on These twenty-five artifacts explain America (gifted link) in ~life
Akir Link ParentMaybe the fact that the author describes the country in terms of consumer products is part of the point?Maybe the fact that the author describes the country in terms of consumer products is part of the point?
-
Comment on These twenty-five artifacts explain America (gifted link) in ~life
Akir LinkI honestly kind of wonder if the author is European. Red Solo cups are a thing that Europeans think is particularly American but I don’t think I have ever had that association brought up by an...I honestly kind of wonder if the author is European. Red Solo cups are a thing that Europeans think is particularly American but I don’t think I have ever had that association brought up by an American before. I don’t think I’ve ever seen plastic lawn flamingos in real life and I haven’t seen a Pizza Hut lamp since I’ve last been in a sit-down Pizza Hut location (which I am almost certain became extinct 20 years ago).
It’s so strange to me that the author brought up the automobile but hadn’t thought about the single object most central to the American Identity: their car.
-
Comment on Big food versus the people in ~health
Akir Link ParentI’m not sure if you’re aware, but in the 80s tobacco companies bought some of America’s biggest food manufacturers - General Mills, Nabisco, and Kraft. So they didn’t just take inspiration from...Similar to the story of big tobacco, oil, healthcare (in the US) and pretty much every other mature industry with enough money to influence the system.
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but in the 80s tobacco companies bought some of America’s biggest food manufacturers - General Mills, Nabisco, and Kraft. So they didn’t just take inspiration from big tobacco, they just used the strategies they already developed; make the product addictive, resistIng regulation, and poisoning the discourse.
One aspect that I think is shocking that they get away with is that they are allowed to put so many ingredients as “Flavors” and not disclose what they are. The food one puts in one’s body shouldn’t be subject to trade secrets and frankly it’s an unethical form of protectionism that even free market economists should be loudly objecting to. Everyone should have the right to know what they are consuming and the fact that these products are literally addictive makes it so much worse.
-
Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
Akir Link ParentI don’t think you should refrain from suggesting RPGs. I have been skipping most of the games in CGA and this one actually got me into it! You should also consider that enough people wanted to...I don’t think you should refrain from suggesting RPGs. I have been skipping most of the games in CGA and this one actually got me into it! You should also consider that enough people wanted to play this game that we voted it in.
Maybe in this particular case the game just didn’t meet people’s high expectations. I’d imagine that some may have been expecting a hidden gem to rival Chrono Trigger.
-
Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
Akir LinkI didn’t finish unfortunately. I got through what I assume to be about the midpoint of the game after saving the world from the apparent big bad. Lufia II has some great ideas and I think they are...I didn’t finish unfortunately. I got through what I assume to be about the midpoint of the game after saving the world from the apparent big bad.
Lufia II has some great ideas and I think they are generally well implemented but the problem I have with the game is that it is just too mechanical and regimented. While I never felt like I should be spending too much time grinding the overall pattern - going to town, reading some extremely rudimentary dialog, going to a dungeon, rinse and repeat - got incredibly repetitive. The game desperately needed more time with its characters, both in terms of its main party members and the minor ones in town. It was really disappointing to be able to go back to Elcid and hearing all of the NPCs repeat the same dialogue as they did when I first set out! The world has changed just a bit in the entire year I’d been gone! It really illustrated the lack of overall dynamism that even contemporary RPGs were offering. In spite of clearly expending a great deal of budget and effort, it kind of made the game seem like a cut down minimalist gameboy RPG à la SaGa.
I haven't tried to play the original Japanese version (because I likely couldn’t read it), but the localization effort seemed to also be lacking. The default text speed is just a tad too fast, and I wouldn’t want to slow it down simply because the wording is usually awkward in some way and I don’t want to focus on it too much.
But as I mentioned earlier, the mechanics are fantastic. The battles are mercifully short, and even the magic animations are not too long. The game is really well balanced and I’d say combat in general is pretty easy. The puzzles are fairly well designed and don’t feel like they’re “in the way” of the overall experience, and I particularly like being able to shoot monsters in dungeons to walk past them and the challenge of getting them where you want them to be. I’ve got to say though, I really don’t get the capsule monsters. It’s nice to have an extra damage sponge who doesn’t need pampering but they are such a mixed bag and the evolution system is extremely vague and unclear. And what the heck is IP supposed to stand for?
My overall arbitrary rating for this game is a 4.5 out of 10. It’s a mechanically super solid game but it commits the cardinal RPG sin of having a world, characters, and plot which are completely unmemorable. The art and music are very well realized but they don’t stand out much in the echelons of SNES RPGs.
-
Comment on What are your favourite fragrances, and why? in ~talk
Akir LinkOrange peel. Particularly mandarin varieties. Honestly, just about any citrus peel. The smell of most fresh cut wood, but pine is the best. Even finished antique wood furnature has a pretty...Orange peel. Particularly mandarin varieties. Honestly, just about any citrus peel.
The smell of most fresh cut wood, but pine is the best. Even finished antique wood furnature has a pretty amazing smell.
Basil. Fresh bread.
…
Oh, you all were talking about commercial fragrances. I don’t particularly care for the vast majority of them; I find them to be kind of… distracting? For the most part I want things to smell like what they are, or the idealized versions of them.
Although I will admit that I love scented candles. The best scents are waaaaay too expensive so I basically just get whatever discount ones I can find that don’t have offensive scents, a disturbingly rare find.
-
Comment on Atari makes Universal movie deal for ten iconic game properties in ~movies
Akir Link ParentAFAIK that isn’t a thing anymore. I seem to remember that was a thing the owners of the name were doing before Infogrames bought them and assumed the name for their company.AFAIK that isn’t a thing anymore. I seem to remember that was a thing the owners of the name were doing before Infogrames bought them and assumed the name for their company.
-
Comment on Survey: The temperature in my room now is _____ and it feels _____ in ~talk
Akir LinkWhere I work the thermostat is locked at 70°F and I hate it so much because the weather is around 95° or higher. I’m pretty acclimatized to the weather and have gotten used to wearing short...Where I work the thermostat is locked at 70°F and I hate it so much because the weather is around 95° or higher. I’m pretty acclimatized to the weather and have gotten used to wearing short clothes to keep cool, but when the temperature is approaching a 30° difference that’s just plain stupid. I can’t just change into pants when I get there, especially because I’m typically there for just an hour at a time. Even before the summer I had a younger kid I could barely get to focus on his studies because he would be frozen by the cold air coming out of the vents. It’s so incredibly dumb that I was close to doing a rant thread on how air conditioning was a mistake and shouldn’t have been invented.
-
Comment on Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO | Teaser PV in ~anime
Akir Link ParentYou are right! I’m sorry for the error. In my defense, it is very trigger-like.You are right! I’m sorry for the error.
In my defense, it is very trigger-like.
-
Comment on Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO | Teaser PV in ~anime
Akir Link ParentSeed really seemed like the low point in the franchise. W wasn’t that great IMHO even though it was my entry point into the franchise and even it seemed dramatically better in just about every...Seed really seemed like the low point in the franchise. W wasn’t that great IMHO even though it was my entry point into the franchise and even it seemed dramatically better in just about every way.
One of the most interesting entries is the last one they made, animated by Studio Trigger and set in an alternate history where Zeon won.
-
Comment on Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO | Teaser PV in ~anime
Akir Link ParentThere is a video on bamco’s youtube with a native English annnouncer and they pronounce it “Alex”. アレックス Is exactly how I would spell “Alex” in Japanese so I'm choosing to roll with this one. No...There is a video on bamco’s youtube with a native English annnouncer and they pronounce it “Alex”.
アレックス Is exactly how I would spell “Alex” in Japanese so I'm choosing to roll with this one. No idea why the first X is silent but to its credit the logo has that letter hollowed out.
Depends on what you mean by cool but you might want to check out this earlier thread on the Meta programming language.