alp's recent activity
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Comment on Nintendo Music | Announcement trailer in ~games
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Comment on Nintendo Music | Announcement trailer in ~games
alp LinkWow, this is fantastic. I can finally legitimately listen to this music without relying on a fan upload of a bootleg (which in the interim were of course much loved). This being bundled into the...Wow, this is fantastic. I can finally legitimately listen to this music without relying on a fan upload of a bootleg (which in the interim were of course much loved). This being bundled into the basic NSO tier is also a steal, as I'd gladly pay far more than that tier's price for this service alone. Plus I like the acknowledgement that this type of music is wholly different from other types in the way the service is designed, with spoiler protection features, thoughtful extended mixes coming from each song having its native loop information associated, and other things too.
Can't wait to see more games added to this!
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Comment on No one’s laughing now: ‘Joker Folie à Deux’ falls down with $39m-$40m opening: How the sequel went sideways in ~movies
alp LinkI'm quite surprised by just how negative this response has been. Personally, I thought it a very interesting film that surpassed the first, and while it attempts something wholly different to the...I'm quite surprised by just how negative this response has been. Personally, I thought it a very interesting film that surpassed the first, and while it attempts something wholly different to the first film (so I expected at least some backlash from those expecting that) I think in its own right it's something quite new and interesting.
I'm glad that they avoided any sequel branding, as this film didn't provide a sequel-like experience or any of what the original did but seemed to act more as a reaction to the first film and its response (to the extent of the first film canonically, to an extent literally being referred to as a "TV-movie" in this). As opposed to the original acting as an excellent thriller providing an update to that so-loved Taxi Driver formula, this new film was brave in subverting that, almost staring down the camera and asking why we respond to a film like that, or similar real-world events, in such ways. It's definitely one that'll take me a rewatch or two to process fully but I'm really glad that I saw it and really disappointed that it is being cast as some worthless failure despite boldly trying something new; may willingness to try such risks on such a huge budget not be reduced as a result.
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Comment on Timasomo 2024: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
alp LinkIt begins—good luck, everybody! I hope it's a really fulfilling month for every one of you. I'll be making a new second section to my song "Comes the Isle"; this section will be hefty enough to...It begins—good luck, everybody! I hope it's a really fulfilling month for every one of you.
I'll be making a new second section to my song "Comes the Isle"; this section will be hefty enough to fil this month quite easily, I think. It'll be a build from the current ambient intro to the climax that follows it, and it'll take a lot of musical development that's been always beyond me! No more excuses, time to learn and experiment and love. :)
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Comment on Announcing Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo) for 2024! in ~tildes
alp LinkAh, how exciting! I can't wait to finally participate this year. I've been working on an album for about five years ago, and its centrepiece is this one huge song, many parts, sixty-one minutes...Ah, how exciting! I can't wait to finally participate this year.
I've been working on an album for about five years ago, and its centrepiece is this one huge song, many parts, sixty-one minutes long. I may sound a bit silly for saying this, but I'm starting to realise that this song was missing one thing to say what I want it to say, and that's a build-up section between the quiet opening and its climax, to actually convey journey, acceleration, the approach to what's to come.
It's going to be very different to anything I've made before, very traditional instruments, and the plan I have in my head has it sounding like a steady snowballing motorik driving a melodic progression that will likely end up poorly aping Philip Glass. We'll see!
This Timasomo, I'll be making that. :)
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Comment on The Office (Australia) | Official trailer in ~tv
alp LinkHm, I'm intrigued. It seems like instead of doing their own thing for its own virtues (like how the American version succeeded alongside the original) it's really heavily going for the same...Hm, I'm intrigued. It seems like instead of doing their own thing for its own virtues (like how the American version succeeded alongside the original) it's really heavily going for the same approach as that US version. Which is interesting, given the opportunity an Australian culture could give to that format in terms of humour.
I suppose that the US version also started in something of an identity crisis too, so perhaps this'll find its feet eventually also!
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Comment on Russians assaulted, threatened and abused in UK as hate crimes linked to Ukraine war surge in ~news
alp Link ParentFrom the Information Commissioner's Office: Cost limits are £450, or £600 for central government. That is interesting, though—I've very rarely seen that come up, albeit in my limited experience.From the Information Commissioner's Office:
You can only refuse a request if:
- the information is subject to one of the exemptions (these are listed in Part II of FOIA)
- complying with it would exceed the appropriate cost limits under section 12, or
- it is vexatious or repeated under section 14.
Cost limits are £450, or £600 for central government. That is interesting, though—I've very rarely seen that come up, albeit in my limited experience.
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Comment on Slugs - how are you coping? in ~life.home_improvement
alp Link ParentI'd genuinely read "bear traps" in your original post and was slightly horrified, if a little tickled by the elaborate and mediæval approach of tiny little metal spring-traps in your garden. I...I'd genuinely read "bear traps" in your original post and was slightly horrified, if a little tickled by the elaborate and mediæval approach of tiny little metal spring-traps in your garden. I hadn't heard of a beer trap—that sounds like a good way to go, if any :)
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Comment on Slugs - how are you coping? in ~life.home_improvement
alp LinkFellow Brit amid slugseason here, hello! I'm sadly not too equipped with advice with this problem which does seem like a nightmare for those in your position... I'm mainly commenting as somebody...Fellow Brit amid slugseason here, hello!
I'm sadly not too equipped with advice with this problem which does seem like a nightmare for those in your position... I'm mainly commenting as somebody who looks after the silly little things! I'm sure you're much more well-versed than me in means of protecting vegetables from those hungry tiny lumps—I was just wondering if you know any alternatives in this field? Considering the agony in which salt specifically causes them to go out, the intense burning and the dehydrating it brings all at once, it can be a tricky one...
Slug vent
Last night I stepped on a curious miniature sausage that had wandered into my kitchen and it was just *awful*... it survived it and was clearly in a really bad way; I've never seen a slug writhe like that before, insides all coming out and clearly just in so much suffering. Once I'd stopped sobbing and apologising to it I covered it up, boiled the kettle, and poured it over as I hear that that's a relatively instantaneous way for them to go. I could see that it stopped writhing quite quickly then so I tearfully moved it away...So yes, boiling water aside, like you've mentioned above, I wonder what the best way about this is that leaves happy carrots and happy slugs. Or at least, not writhing-in-agony slugs!
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Comment on Lana Del Rey says her Bond theme was turned down in ~movies
alp Link ParentOne can't forget Radiohead's stellar original submission for the same film, Man of War, accepted until the eleventh hour before it was noticed that it wasn't exactly bespoke...One can't forget Radiohead's stellar original submission for the same film, Man of War, accepted until the eleventh hour before it was noticed that it wasn't exactly bespoke...
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Comment on Side projects that were actually good? in ~music
alp Link ParentTwo absolutely perfect suggestions; thanks so much. :) Bright side, I don't think that there's any credence for The Smile replacing Radiohead; the latter will almost certainly resume when its...Two absolutely perfect suggestions; thanks so much. :)
Bright side, I don't think that there's any credence for The Smile replacing Radiohead; the latter will almost certainly resume when its members are ready, I'm sure! Not that I'm too impatient—we're so lucky to have just received an album on the level of Wall of Eyes. I haven't felt this giddy about a new release of this scale since A Moon Shaped Pool...
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Comment on ‘Wonka’ hits sweet milestone as musical tops $500m worldwide in ~movies
alp Link ParentI don't think that it's really trying to be associated with those other lovely films that you mention bar the occasional nod for triggering nostalgic feelings. Definitely not a fair comparison! I...I don't think that it's really trying to be associated with those other lovely films that you mention bar the occasional nod for triggering nostalgic feelings. Definitely not a fair comparison!
I saw the new film in the cinema recently; it's certainly a fun experience to just switch one's brain off and see a story vaguely about Willy Wonka. I don't know if I'd recommend that anybody rush to see it while it's still showing, but it's hard to leave it with any regret!
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Comment on Starting out making music in ~hobbies
alp LinkI think that the best advice that I can give is to avoid, if possible, the hole of pursuing equipment or software above the act of creation itself. It's easy to view one's current setup of...I think that the best advice that I can give is to avoid, if possible, the hole of pursuing equipment or software above the act of creation itself. It's easy to view one's current setup of hardware and software as "inadequate" and so constantly being on the lookout for new things to round out what you have. In reality in almost all cases the most basic of setups is no more and no less adequate than the most complex! We all know that limitation provokes creativity, and that very much holds true here. I started making music by downloading Audacity, the free software that (well, at the time) was very much not intended to be used for musical purposes, and viewed using it and it alone to construct an electronic piece of music as a challenge, and if it wasn't for that little challenge that I set for myself one day then I wouldn't have the style of music that I do and I wouldn't have my dearest hobby of creating and touring and performing.
Find the bare minimum for now and start actually making things! Only look to expand your setup if you truly believe that a particular (and I mean particular) addition can truly open up a new type of musical creation that's currently blocked for you.
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Comment on MangaLove, a series sharing thread: January 2024 in ~anime
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Comment on Threads is blocking servers on the Fediverse. Here's how we unblocked ourselves. in ~tech
alp Link ParentCan't we criticise somebody's opinions on something without immediately dismissing everything else they think a priori? That feels like a bit of a worrying attitude.Can't we criticise somebody's opinions on something without immediately dismissing everything else they think a priori? That feels like a bit of a worrying attitude.
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Comment on Falkland's sovereignty 'not up for discussion' UK leader warns after new Argentinian president vows to 'get them back' in ~society
alp LinkI'm really nervous about this. Of course almost every Argentine leader will hold this policy because it's a very popular one across the populace there, and yet despite his Anglophilia I fear that...I'm really nervous about this. Of course almost every Argentine leader will hold this policy because it's a very popular one across the populace there, and yet despite his Anglophilia I fear that Milei is unpredictable enough to actually make a diplomatic effort at some point in his tenure, even if not militarily. Things are dangerous at the moment, and I do worry for the Islanders so much right now.
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Comment on Grand Theft Auto VI | Trailer 1 in ~games
alp Link ParentI always wondered if this series' satirical views of parts of the U.S. were at all accurate, being British, so I'm happy to hear that they've clearly done some good research!I always wondered if this series' satirical views of parts of the U.S. were at all accurate, being British, so I'm happy to hear that they've clearly done some good research!
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Comment on Day 1: Trebuchet?! in ~comp.advent_of_code
alp LinkWhat a tricky Day 1 compared to previous years! Plus, as somebody using this year to try and brush up a bit on my old beloved C, it feels like today's second part was designed to make me sad :(...What a tricky Day 1 compared to previous years! Plus, as somebody using this year to try and brush up a bit on my old beloved C, it feels like today's second part was designed to make me sad :( While I completed today, I didn't get the second star thanks to a misinterpretation that I hope that I'm not alone in having read: given the input
6eightwo, my reading of the challenge led me to believe that the expected value therefor was 68, and not 62, and so that caused my final solution to be wrong. To change that I'd need to totally reïmplement, so I suppose that that's that.Anyway, as I haven't seen anybody else having a crack at C, I thought I'd post mine here!
Advent of Code Day 1 C implementation
```c #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <ctype.h> #include <string.h>#define MAX_STR_LENGTH 128
// a lookup table of number spellings and numerals, grouped by spelling length
char* const DIGIT_NAMES[3][9][2] = {
{
{ "one", "1" },
{ "two", "2" },
{ "six", "6" },
}, {
{ "four", "4" },
{ "five", "5" },
{ "nine", "9" },
}, {
{ "three", "3" },
{. "seven", "7" },
{ "eight", "8" }
}
};// replace a substring at a given index with another
void insertNumeral(char* srcString, int startIndex, int endIndex, char num) {char builtString[MAX_STR_LENGTH]; // load up the leadin... strncpy( builtString, srcString, startIndex ); // ...sneak in our little numeral package... builtString[startIndex] = num; // ...and then top off with the rest! strncpy( &builtString[startIndex + 1], srcString + endIndex, MAX_STR_LENGTH - endIndex ); // donezo; now just copy back to the source :) strcpy(srcString, builtString);}
// pass through a given string, replacing spelled numbers with numerals
void sanitiseDigits(char* srcString) {for (int start = 0; start < (MAX_STR_LENGTH-5); start++ ) for (int numLen = 0; numLen < 3; numLen++) { if (!isalnum(srcString[start+numLen+2])) break; // get current substring to query char* srcSubstr = (char*) malloc( (numLen+3) * sizeof(char) ); memcpy( srcSubstr, srcString + start * sizeof(char), (numLen + 3) * sizeof(char) ); // check for numeral hits for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) if (!strcmp(srcSubstr, DIGIT_NAMES[numLen][i][0])) insertNumeral( srcString, start, (start + numLen + 3), DIGIT_NAMES[numLen][i][1][0] ); free(srcSubstr); }}
int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
// first, let's open up our input file... char const* const fn = argv[1]; FILE* f = fopen(fn, "r"); char curLine[MAX_STR_LENGTH]; // ..and finally we can iterate through its lines! int noOfDigits; char curTerminals[2]; int runningTotal = 0; while ( fgets(curLine, sizeof(curLine), f) ) { // firstly let's sanitise our spelled digits as a first pass printf("raw str is %s...", curLine); sanitiseDigits(curLine); printf(" and sanitised str is %s!\n", curLine); // now all there is to do is to extract the digits... int* curDigits = (int*) malloc(MAX_STR_LENGTH * sizeof(int)); noOfDigits = 0; for (int i = 0; i < (int)sizeof(curLine); i++) { if (!isalnum(curLine[i])) break; if (curLine[i]>='0' && curLine[i]<='9') { // (treat as single-character int by subtracting 0 literal) curDigits[noOfDigits] = (curLine[i] - '0'); noOfDigits++; } } // ...and build the calibrators! curTerminals[0] = '0' + curDigits[0]; curTerminals[1] = '0' + curDigits[noOfDigits-1]; runningTotal += atoi(curTerminals); free(curDigits); } fclose(f); // lovely stuff. :) printf("FINAL TOTAL IS %d. End.", runningTotal); return 0;}
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Comment on What are some corporate websites that you consider extremely reputable sources of information? in ~tech
alp Link ParentSurely a news source can have a slant while still being reputable? Is this not inherent to almost any journalism? I've always viewed such a slant to be an independent factor from how much I trust...Surely a news source can have a slant while still being reputable? Is this not inherent to almost any journalism? I've always viewed such a slant to be an independent factor from how much I trust a source.
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Comment on Doctor Who Special “The Star Beast” - Discussion Thread in ~tv
alp (edited )LinkOfficial link for the episode here, if that's handy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001sx3h/doctor-who-2023-the-star-beast Such a fun episode! Upsetting "Series 14"->"Season 1" Disney...Official link for the episode here, if that's handy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001sx3h/doctor-who-2023-the-star-beast
Such a fun episode! Upsetting "Series 14"->"Season 1" Disney shenanigans aside, I really had a great time with this. Although my enjoyment of the past few years of the programme possibly devalues this... The Meep was practically one of the coolest things that I've seen in this programme in years—the complex animatronics, the detailed puppeteering, wow!—and it was generally a story difficult to not enjoy. The final minute was also just a classic moment that really showed me that we're going to some great places in episodes to come.
Would anybody else really give this away for free? Of course, who wouldn't accept it were it given for nothing, but this is their huge catalogue of much of the most beloved music in some circles of the past four decades being made legitimately available in a bespoke format—I'd never expect for a moment to not pay for something like this from anybody, and I think that almost nobody in Nintendo's position would charge less than that.