Akir's recent activity
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Comment on The most important RPG nobody talks about (Ultima) in ~games
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
Akir Link ParentI actually bought both my last two EVs certified. The first was a first gen Leaf and that was well warranted, and the second was a Bolt EV, which wasn’t really worth it insomuch as it was in such...I actually bought both my last two EVs certified. The first was a first gen Leaf and that was well warranted, and the second was a Bolt EV, which wasn’t really worth it insomuch as it was in such high demand it was basically the only way to get it at the time.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
Akir Link ParentI noticed some of the problems that @decekiscool had noticed but I've been busy all day so I had Claude Opus 5 do some research for me. I'm sorry for the lazy response, but I'm sure y'all know I'm...I noticed some of the problems that @decekiscool had noticed but I've been busy all day so I had Claude Opus 5 do some research for me. I'm sorry for the lazy response, but I'm sure y'all know I'm not usually like this!
https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/65b8e979-39c4-4689-8748-358129e438f5
To make a long story short, I think we're all talking past eachother because we're talking about different definitions of reliability. I'm talking about a car that won't break down because of a major mechanical failure. One thing that I thought was potentially elucidating was this statement:
Brand ≠ powertrain. Much of the "hybrids are reliable" signal is really "Toyota is reliable," and much of the "EVs are unreliable" signal is really "new platforms and specific defects (ICCU, Ultium, startups) are unreliable." Controlling for brand and model age shrinks the powertrain effect substantially.
Toyota has finally gotten with the time and now produces EVs so the numbers coming out of this math may end up changing in the coming years.
Asking Claude a number of follow-up questions has honestly made me come to the simple conclusion that getting the best quality is probably more linked to getting the drivetrain best handled by the specific manufacturer. You'd probably want to buy a hybrid from Toyota and an EV model that's been around for a while and has a proven track record.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
Akir Link ParentReally? That surprises me. I haven’t seen a 240 dryer in forever. But it’s not like I go around touring peoples dryers in the first place. 😅Really? That surprises me. I haven’t seen a 240 dryer in forever. But it’s not like I go around touring peoples dryers in the first place. 😅
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Comment on Are there any passionate Nissan Leaf owners here? in ~transport
Akir Link ParentThe Leaf came with both a ChaDeMo and J1772 port. ChaDeMo was DC Fast Charge only, and the J1772 did not have the extra pins for CCS DC Fast charging. Like I said, Nissan was dumb. It was a really...The Leaf came with both a ChaDeMo and J1772 port. ChaDeMo was DC Fast Charge only, and the J1772 did not have the extra pins for CCS DC Fast charging.
Like I said, Nissan was dumb. It was a really nice car for pretty much everything else except for that. They really could have given Tesla and the rest of the industry more of a run for their money.
I had the higher trim model. I’m not sure if the lower trim was available without ChaDeMo.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
Akir Link ParentThis is true. However it’s also somewhat irrelevant for the purpose of this conversation. You still have the added mechanical complexity of the engine, which has an incredible amount of moving...This is true. However it’s also somewhat irrelevant for the purpose of this conversation. You still have the added mechanical complexity of the engine, which has an incredible amount of moving parts and points of failure. You’ve got spark plugs, fuel pumps, coolant systems, air sensors, timing belts/chains… the list goes on and on. It introduces much more maintenance and expense.
Gas is corrosive so you have to take care of it if you don’t want it to fall apart. Buying a HEV means investing a lot of time and money on maintenance as well as extra money on gasoline, which we know is bad for our health and environment. In contrast, for my EV I need to maintain basically just the minimum things that make it a car; the tires, the brakes, the brake fluid, the windshield wipers, and the windshield wiper fluid. And just in case you are worried about the extra weight of the batteries I am just now replacing the tires at roughly 68k miles on the stock tires, brakes, and brake fluid. The amount of maintenance you will be avoiding by switching to EV is no joke.
There is a reason why people like me are so upset when we see the auto industry step back from EVs. There are so many benefits and actual quality of life improvements you get just from simple electrification that is completely separate from the “smartification” that they keep trying to sell you on. It’s things like never needing to stop for gas because your car gets all the fuel it needs at home or work, or not needing to worry about using gas when using climate control waiting in your car, or the obvious things like how electricity is dramatically cheaper than gasoline and is much less likely to fluctuate because of conflict when our president gets into his latest dick measuring contest.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
Akir Link ParentLevel 2 is actually pretty trivial in a lot of homes too. Many homes have a 240v plug for a dryers but modern dryers are 115v. In such a case all you would need to do is purchase the appropriate...Level 2 is actually pretty trivial in a lot of homes too. Many homes have a 240v plug for a dryers but modern dryers are 115v. In such a case all you would need to do is purchase the appropriate cable and/or plug. That’s obviously very situation dependent though!
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Comment on Are there any passionate Nissan Leaf owners here? in ~transport
Akir Link ParentThere is no adapter. ChaDeMo uses different signaling and power, which is a big reason why people were so angry at Nissan for using it for years when it was pretty clear that the entire industry...There is no adapter. ChaDeMo uses different signaling and power, which is a big reason why people were so angry at Nissan for using it for years when it was pretty clear that the entire industry was settling on CCS except them and Tesla - and Tesla accepted CCS with an adapter.
You’re probably thinking NACS -> J1772. That does exist, for 120 or 240V AC power.
Really public charging might end up being kind of a problem for gen 1 leaf models in the future. J1772 chargers are still aplenty but it seems that charging networks are focusing on fast charging and are likely to be all NACS, which may not charge a Leaf even with an adapter. Anecdotally, metered level 2 J1772 chargers are still around in lots of places I go to but level 1 chargers are pretty rare. The Leaf will work with both.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentWell at first I thought you were being antagonistic, then I read it again and I thought you were being exasperated with the things in your life. And now I’m just confused too.Well at first I thought you were being antagonistic, then I read it again and I thought you were being exasperated with the things in your life. And now I’m just confused too.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentIt's almost as if someone responding to a comment I wrote four weeks ago about my legal rights - something I care about deeply - just to dismiss them, might just make me a little bit upset. I can...It's almost as if someone responding to a comment I wrote four weeks ago about my legal rights - something I care about deeply - just to dismiss them, might just make me a little bit upset. I can appreciate that you have more important things to deal with but yelling out how much you don't care is just insulting.
I'm sorry you're going through so much right now. My sister also lost her benefits a while back and it took quite a while before she was able to get back on her feet. I hope things work out for you.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentArbitration may not always work out in the company's favor, but when a court case doesn't work out in your favor, you can appeal it. If you get fucked over by a bad arbitration you are fucked over...Arbitration may not always work out in the company's favor, but when a court case doesn't work out in your favor, you can appeal it. If you get fucked over by a bad arbitration you are fucked over forever. As per challenged arbitration clauses, this is why they are constantly changing them. Are you not constantly getting emails saying that corporations are changing their terms of service? These days they are often emailing you with language specifically calling out arbitration because it's that big of a deal.
The fact that you don't know how many arbitration agreements you've signed is probably a sign that it's probably a larger issue than you realize.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
Akir Link ParentYou also give up your seventh amendment rights to a court trail if they ever decide to fuck you over in any way, so there is that. Note that there is no language allowing you to terminate the...You also give up your seventh amendment rights to a court trail if they ever decide to fuck you over in any way, so there is that. Note that there is no language allowing you to terminate the arbitration and class action waiver clauses, so since you've signed up for the app, you can essentially never sue McDonalds in a US court except for small claims.
But hey, I'm speaking as someone who was dumb and downloaded the app and is bound by a version of those terms, so it seems we're both in the same camp.
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Comment on The most important RPG nobody talks about (Ultima) in ~games
Akir LinkObligatory: Majuular’s Ultima Retrospective series. Very long documentaries about each game in the series - including the spinoffs - all the way up to Ultima VII so far (and Ultima Underworld II)....Obligatory: Majuular’s Ultima Retrospective series. Very long documentaries about each game in the series - including the spinoffs - all the way up to Ultima VII so far (and Ultima Underworld II). I really love getting lost in these whenever they drop.
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Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
Akir Link ParentI don’t think it was terrible. It just felt more like it was a fan movie of what it was supposed to be a sequel of. Which is what every sequel is when it comes out decades later.I don’t think it was terrible. It just felt more like it was a fan movie of what it was supposed to be a sequel of.
Which is what every sequel is when it comes out decades later.
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Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
Akir Link ParentThey also kept making them with lower and lower budgets as years went on. They became more enjoyable because they became worse. I seem to remember a fast and furious one that came out circa 2020...They also kept making them with lower and lower budgets as years went on. They became more enjoyable because they became worse. I seem to remember a fast and furious one that came out circa 2020 that I enjoyed.
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Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies
Akir Link ParentNo, I will absolutely give you this. The producers at Disney actively were trying to insult the audience with this movie, I felt. They went from a movie that felt like it was developed from barely...No, I will absolutely give you this. The producers at Disney actively were trying to insult the audience with this movie, I felt. They went from a movie that felt like it was developed from barely making a few changes to the storyboard from the first Star Wars movie, to giving the franchise to a talented filmmaker to making a film with themes that actually meant things and had meaningful messages, back to a bunch of events that make absolutely zero logical sense happening and a lot of retconning and “rule of cool” filmmaking.
While I did end up enjoying End of Oak Street somehow, I still insist that JJ Abrams knows nothing about filmmaking and should never be allowed in a production office ever again.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 voting topic in ~games
Akir LinkMother 3 (5) The Genesis of Treasure (5) Another World (5) Ys Origin (3) Beneath a Steel Sky (2)Mother 3 (5)
The Genesis of Treasure (5)
Another World (5)
Ys Origin (3)
Beneath a Steel Sky (2) -
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
Akir Link ParentTo be fair, it does feel significantly more like a cross between an adventure and rhythm game than an RPG.To be fair, it does feel significantly more like a cross between an adventure and rhythm game than an RPG.
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Comment on Steam Frame product page is now live in ~games
Akir Link ParentIt really does kind of feel like the world is ending, doesn't it? Or at least the status quo. The world will just adapt, same as it always does. Part of the status quo was this illusion that we...It really does kind of feel like the world is ending, doesn't it? Or at least the status quo. The world will just adapt, same as it always does.
Part of the status quo was this illusion that we were all the same. That we all had the same kind of car more or less, the same phone, the same home, the same family, the same neighborhood, and so on. But we don't. They may run the same basic applications but there's substantive differences between the iPhone Pro Max and the iPhone SE, or else they wouldn't bother to make them. And now they're making the Duo because they have more differentiation to make for people who have even more money.
Frankly I don't think that the iPhone Duo or the Steam Frame are overpriced for what they are or what they do. I think they're actually pretty good values, no less. What I see as a greater problem is that people at large - the laboring class - are given a continually shrinking part of the economy in spite of, you know, creating that economy in the first place. Or, like you mentioned, that speculation on a particular part of technology has allowed a segment of industry to dominate the economy in a way that could possibly destroy everyone's wellbeing.
I don't know, we're just in weird, kind of bad times. Maybe focus on the good things in your life instead?
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
I actually thought that Ultima VII was very simple and easy to play compared to earlier games in the series. Everything is controlled by the mouse; it’s universal design. The only thing complicated about it was inventory management and the magic system. The former was a limitation of the graphical/mouse driven style and the latter was a leftover from previous Ultima games, from my memory. Though if I’m being completely honest, i hated the reagent concept so much I skipped playing them altogether!
But yes, your problem is absolutely that you didn’t read the manuals. They are required to enjoy the games. Not only do they explain how to play the games, they have a good chunk of the lore and tell you where to go and what to do in some of them. This is why the GOG releases are so great!