arqalite's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on I tried to help a goldfinch - but there wasn't enough help in ~enviro
arqalite Link ParentYeah, I'm aware of that, just wanted to get the best solution possible for the little guy.Yeah, I'm aware of that, just wanted to get the best solution possible for the little guy.
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I tried to help a goldfinch - but there wasn't enough help
So last night at around 11pm, my partner and I ended up with an European goldfinch - most likely a fledgling - sitting on our balcony, backed into a corner and in a total state of shock. My theory...
So last night at around 11pm, my partner and I ended up with an European goldfinch - most likely a fledgling - sitting on our balcony, backed into a corner and in a total state of shock. My theory is that it couldn't fly properly, and hit the floor hard enough to cause a serious concussion, then tried to stay as safe as it could while it recovered.
We had zero idea how to handle the situation, and it was too late to call anyone, so we heeded the internet's advice and set up a safe shelter for it - a shoebox with some holes punched into it and a towel laid down, which we took inside and placed in a dim, quiet place, in hopes the bird was just lightly concussed and would be able to sleep it off.
That wasn't the case - in the morning we found the bird awake, huddled in the corner of the box, puffed up and unresponsive. I took the box outside next to a tree where some sparrows usually love to sit, and lifted the lid. After a few minutes it started looking around, but would not move from the corner of the box at all. I waited for 10 more minutes to see if it would try anything, and saw that it had no plans of leaving the box, so I covered it back up and took it back inside.
Plan B was to seek professional help immediately, and that's what I tried to do.
However, it turns out the Romanian government has no resources to rescue and treat injured wildlife. Unless it's large-scale animal abuse or environmental damage, there is no one to call.
So I turned to the NGOs and volunteer groups. I reached out to all the resources available in my area, hoping someone would have the time, capacity and desire to take the poor bird in and give it the help it desperately needed.
One doctor was unfortunately out of the country, and his clinic didn't have capacity to help, especially in his absence. A second doctor never returned my call or responded to my message.
I reached out to the emergency number of a wildlife rehabilitation center, and heard nothing for hours. I called a different center, and got a response, but their only contact in my area was the doctor that is currently out of the country; their center was 3 hours away by train, too stressful for both me and the bird. I called a veterinary clinic, and got a quote for ~25 euro, for a consultation with a spot at 2pm.
I then finally got an answer from the first rehab center, who asked me to try to take the bird outside again. However, at 1:30pm I checked the box, trying to follow the instructions I was given, and I was met with a bird that unfortunately passed away.
It really sucks - I tried to help this poor critter but there just aren't sufficient resources; wildlife is the least of the government's priorities, and NGOs by their nature are never sufficiently staffed nor have the funds and capacity to sustain the demand. Especially with the heatwaves hitting Europe, I'm sure my bird wasn't the only one having accidents this week.
Nobody is at fault here - it just was the wrong timing for everyone involved - but I can't help but feel guilty anyway.
I don't even know what the point of this post is besides to complain, and I guess to grieve a tiny soul that deserved more. Maybe we should all take a moment and appreciate the birds chirping outside. They're beautiful, and we should protect them as much as we can.
Rest in peace, little bird.
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Comment on Sony is closing the PS3 and Vita digital stores in ~games
arqalite Linko7 to one of the best consoles I've ever owned. Flashing custom firmware on my 1st gen PS3 and turning it into a retro emulation powerhouse while still able to play games like Persona 5 and Diablo...o7 to one of the best consoles I've ever owned.
Flashing custom firmware on my 1st gen PS3 and turning it into a retro emulation powerhouse while still able to play games like Persona 5 and Diablo III made the summer of 2016 truly memorable to me. Not to mention it pulling triple duty as a media player, DVD reader and YouTube/Spotify client. What else could I have asked for?
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Comment on Around twenty drown in France as French seek relief from heatwave in ~enviro
arqalite Link ParentIn Brasov, Romania it snowed like three times this winter? 20 years ago we were used to being buried in snow regularly. The shift is very jarring and very noticeable. Summer seems pretty standard...In Brasov, Romania it snowed like three times this winter?
20 years ago we were used to being buried in snow regularly. The shift is very jarring and very noticeable.
Summer seems pretty standard although it does trend hotter than usual.
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Comment on Are there any video games that are/were popular in your country, that the rest of the world hardly knows about? in ~games
arqalite LinkMetin2 had an absolute chokehold on late 2000s teens in Eastern Europe, most of us would go back home from school and play this game exclusively for hours. Then they somehow managed to make a...Metin2 had an absolute chokehold on late 2000s teens in Eastern Europe, most of us would go back home from school and play this game exclusively for hours.
Then they somehow managed to make a deeply pay-to-win game even more pay-to-win, so we discovered private servers and from there the floodgates opened, why play on just one server when you can level up 5 accounts on 5 separate servers, at the same time?
I still return once every few years, scope out the private server scene and maybe level up an account for a few days until I move on to something else.
My enjoyment of it is very much nostalgia-driven, though, I think a total newcomer will find the vast majority of the game mechanics off-putting or even frustrating - however if playing a relatively obscure MMORPG sounds like a good time, definitely try it out.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #10: How often do you visit/read Tildes? (Results) in ~talk
arqalite LinkI usually check the titles really quick in the morning, then open Tildes again in the afternoon/during downtime at work, and read/engage more actively. Then I occasionally refresh throughout the...I usually check the titles really quick in the morning, then open Tildes again in the afternoon/during downtime at work, and read/engage more actively.
Then I occasionally refresh throughout the evening to see if anything new got posted.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #9: How optimistic are you about the future? (Results) in ~talk
arqalite LinkI feel like my life is going well. Not the best, not by any stretch, but at least when it comes to my immediate experience, I am looking forward to the future. I might just be enjoying a position...I feel like my life is going well. Not the best, not by any stretch, but at least when it comes to my immediate experience, I am looking forward to the future.
I might just be enjoying a position of privilege however, because at a global scale, we seem like we're tumbling down to ruin so I don't know what to say in the end. Kinda neutral maybe. I do keep hope as best as I can.
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Comment on Does generative AI have a natural limit without a major innovation? in ~comp
arqalite LinkI'm far from an LLM researcher, but I work with AI on the daily and have deployed multiple applications using models from all major frontier labs. I don't think LLMs will get us to AGI, it might...I'm far from an LLM researcher, but I work with AI on the daily and have deployed multiple applications using models from all major frontier labs.
I don't think LLMs will get us to AGI, it might get very close but I do think that always a sufficiently trained human will outperform the very best LLM there is, in a given task.
Where LLMs will outperform us (and maybe already do for some narrow cases) though, is in cross-functional tasks across multiple domains, since they can distill knowledge from so many fields at once while people generally specialize in one or two fields.
I do think we need a breakthrough in model architecture to get past this barrier. It will probably happen eventually, but not right now.
It's interesting to see the attempts at recursive self-improvement and how they develop in the future, though.
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Comment on Website is unhappy in ~tildes
arqalite LinkSeems like Tildes needed a break again, is everything okay?Seems like Tildes needed a break again, is everything okay?
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Comment on Any fellow software engineers using paid GitHub copilot? in ~comp
arqalite LinkI'm on the $10 plan and have pretty much resorted to GPT-5 mini on low reasoning, with caveman on ultra mode. For what I need it to do (analyze a large and obscure database, match some binary data...I'm on the $10 plan and have pretty much resorted to GPT-5 mini on low reasoning, with caveman on ultra mode.
For what I need it to do (analyze a large and obscure database, match some binary data with some C data structures and help me write parsers) it does well, but I do miss abusing Claude Sonnet 4.6 and not worrying about limits.
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Comment on Queer joy - Share what makes you happy, proud or loved in ~lgbt
arqalite LinkGlenn DeVar's "Country Drag" series is so fun to watch, quick make-up tutorials with a bunch of humor... and ✨ the accessories ✨Glenn DeVar's "Country Drag" series is so fun to watch, quick make-up tutorials with a bunch of humor... and ✨ the accessories ✨
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
arqalite LinkControl (2019) - the SCP influences, being a FPS/action hybrid, the soundtrack, the vibes, it's just immaculate. My only complaint is that they don't have an in-game method to check collectibles...Control (2019) - the SCP influences, being a FPS/action hybrid, the soundtrack, the vibes, it's just immaculate. My only complaint is that they don't have an in-game method to check collectibles so I never fully bothered to 100% the game but I went as far as I could.
Can't wait for Resonant.
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Comment on Control Resonant | Story/release date reveal trailer – 24th September 2026 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentThey said September 24th is somehow just right for them, even with these releases around it, so I'm hoping they have a sound strategy. They're certainly pouring a lot into marketing right now.They said September 24th is somehow just right for them, even with these releases around it, so I'm hoping they have a sound strategy. They're certainly pouring a lot into marketing right now.
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Comment on Clanker: A word for the machine in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentOh, okay, makes sense. Slightly related, that's why caveman is also super fun to use. Last I heard the token savings aren't actually that big, but forcing the model to reply in incredibly terse...Oh, okay, makes sense.
Slightly related, that's why caveman is also super fun to use. Last I heard the token savings aren't actually that big, but forcing the model to reply in incredibly terse ways, and then you yourself talking to it very tersely gets very fun at times.
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
arqalite LinkIf the site went commercial (focus on advertising, monetization, etc). And yeah, Tildes being focused on text content makes it so much more pleasant; imagine half the posts here being memes,...If the site went commercial (focus on advertising, monetization, etc).
And yeah, Tildes being focused on text content makes it so much more pleasant; imagine half the posts here being memes, Twitter/Bluesky/Tumblr screenshots and videos.
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Comment on Clanker: A word for the machine in ~tech
arqalite (edited )LinkI honestly agree with all his arguments, but at the end of the day you're still intentionally using a word with a derogatory meaning, and I don't really see the active benefit for it. Sure, don't...I honestly agree with all his arguments, but at the end of the day you're still intentionally using a word with a derogatory meaning, and I don't really see the active benefit for it. Sure, don't use the word agent and don't humanize it, you can just call it an LLM and use technical words to talk about its performance.
That said there's maybe a philosophy I adhere to where objects and non-human entities should still be treated with respect and care, even if not doing so doesn't damage them. Like sure I can be abusive towards an LLM and the only consequence is that it might be abusive back, but I can also be nice for the sake of being nice, and I don't stand to lose anything.
EDIT: Weren't there studies that showed that prompting an LLM with perfect, polite English yielded the best outputs?
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Comment on Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza? (Results) in ~talk
arqalite Link ParentOne third pepperoni and two-thirds hawaii pizza sounds like my perfect pizza, lmaoOne third pepperoni and two-thirds hawaii pizza sounds like my perfect pizza, lmao
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Comment on Embracer Group has announced its intention to split into two public companies, with a new spin-off taking over its biggest game IPs, including Tomb Raider in ~games
arqalite LinkI thought the mergers and acquisitions were why Embracer is a clusterfuck right now and why they are splitting in the first place? Please don't tell me they want to do it all over again.According to an announcement, the split will allow Embracer more flexibility to pursue mergers and acquisitions, while Fellowship focuses on its studios and publishing efforts.
I thought the mergers and acquisitions were why Embracer is a clusterfuck right now and why they are splitting in the first place? Please don't tell me they want to do it all over again.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza? (Results) in ~talk
arqalite LinkFuck yeah; it just elevates a prosciutto funghi in so many ways. Agreed with @Banazir - lightly searing the pineapple makes it fit more alongside the other ingredients, but personally I'm obsessed...Fuck yeah; it just elevates a prosciutto funghi in so many ways.
Agreed with @Banazir - lightly searing the pineapple makes it fit more alongside the other ingredients, but personally I'm obsessed enough that even fresh pineapple is perfectly fine.
I kept forgetting to post in this thread, so here's what I've been up to since May:
Wrote ocgcore-ffi which provides Rust bindings to a C++ Yu-Gi-Oh! script engine. I also got it to compile and link to WebAssembly so it can run in the browser.
Started Project Tensho with the goal of creating a full-fledged Yu-Gi-Oh! simulator. Right now the minimum viable product, and the goal for v0.1, is to set up a single-player practice environment for the Fire King deck. I'm almost done with that, and right now you can play and do combos with all the cards in the deck. Still very much a WIP and rough around the edges. (I also need to commission a UI and icon designer to nail down a visual identity for the app.)
Planned a feature update for Project Echelon, my replay to MP4 converter & Discord bot. Someone asked if the bot could provide a decklist if provided with a *.ydk file, and I thought it's a nice feature to have. Also I found some opportunities to reduce hosting costs and RAM usage, so I'm bundling that in.