arqalite's recent activity
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 2 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
arqalite (edited )LinkI unfortunately have to drop out of Timasomo with my original project (the Onomat Ryzeal guide) and will instead substitute something else I've been cooking alongside my partner daily for the last...I unfortunately have to drop out of Timasomo with my original project (the Onomat Ryzeal guide) and will instead substitute something else I've been cooking alongside my partner daily for the last two months.
Is it cheating? Absolutely. Do I still want to share stuff with the world? Also yes.
So let me introduce to you the Gallery™ - a (soon to be) FOSS application that lets you generate Instagram-ish profiles using a Notion database to organize your media. Niche AF, I know.
My partner sells Notion templates and wants to try his hand at one aimed at social media managers; something competitors have is this way to simulate an Instagram grid using the Notion template, but both reference products we have are currently paid or have a kneecapped free tier.
The goal is to create a FOSS (MIT-licensed even) alternative to them, that can be self-hosted by anyone who needs this (we'll also offer paid hosting for our template customers most likely but monetization is very far off, right now treat this as a self-hosted thing).
And obviously improve and expand on the concept with new features and ideas.
This month I redesigned the user dashboard where you can configure the behavior of the gallery + a simple bio and highlights section - looks like this at the moment.
The highlights section was a total pain, I had to learn the HTML5 drag and drop API to make reordering highlights a thing and it's way trickier than I thought, but it works.
Next up I want to refine and optimize the backend a little, I prototyped a bit too fast and at some point I was doing 2 seconds' worth of extra database queries when first loading the page, which is obviously horrifying. That is gone now and it's much snappier, but I still have a lot to optimize.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 1 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
arqalite LinkFor context, I want to build a combo guide for Onomat Ryzeal, a Yu-Gi-Oh! deck I enjoy. I am far behind on my goals for this week, I kinda wanted to have the most relevant 1-card combos with the...For context, I want to build a combo guide for Onomat Ryzeal, a Yu-Gi-Oh! deck I enjoy.
I am far behind on my goals for this week, I kinda wanted to have the most relevant 1-card combos with the Ryzeal starters mapped out but I only got to do Ice Ryzeal so far. And I also have the Onomats to deal with after that.
To be fair, at the same time I'm preparing the 1.1.0 release of the Fire King guide and in there I did some improvements that will eventually benefit this project (as soon as I start moving my musings into a repository and copy the website scaffolding over). Mostly just setting in stone how cards should be referenced (first by full name and with a link to Yugipedia, then by a shorthand) and also grouping of combos in a single page.
For example, starting off a single Dodododo Warrior (yes, for non-YGO-players, that is the name of the card) you have at least 4 different endboards and multiple routes to follow. Some of them are better than others, and some might only be applicable in certain scenarios.
As such, the dropdown that will let you pick the endboard/route you want to read about will be sorted in increasing order of power level (so the first one is the safest and most minimalist, and the last is the most grandiose and flashy), with a separate
<optgroup>for combos that are only worth doing in a specific scenario only.The goal is for readers to be able to focus on stuff they can apply in every match, and only when they feel ready they can move to the bonus section and learn the hyper-specific lines.
That said it's not certain this paradigm will work as well here as it does for the Fire King combos, but I wanna try it and reevaluate later.
-
Comment on Announcing the seventh annual Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo)! in ~tildes
arqalite LinkHello Tildes, long time no see :) Since I coincidentally dropped in right as Timasomo starts, I might as well take part. I'm still obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh! so, very similarly to my work from last...Hello Tildes, long time no see :)
Since I coincidentally dropped in right as Timasomo starts, I might as well take part.
I'm still obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh! so, very similarly to my work from last year, I'm gonna write a combo guide for another favorite deck, Onomat Ryzeal.
Using my learnings from the Fire King guide, both the original version at the end of Timasomo 2024, and the rebooted version that released earlier this September, I should have an easier time.
That said this deck is much more open-ended, so it's gonna be interesting.
-
Comment on The Remedy Connected Universe that ties Alan Wake 2 and Control is "just getting started" with no endgame in sight, says Sam Lake in ~games
arqalite LinkI just hope they don't overdo it as it's very easy to get lost in the sauce and lose the main things that made these two games so good. I trust Remedy to be reasonable about it, but it's not...I just hope they don't overdo it as it's very easy to get lost in the sauce and lose the main things that made these two games so good.
I trust Remedy to be reasonable about it, but it's not impossible for them to go the Marvel and/or Sony route and just connect stuff together for the sake of connecting them together.
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentGalaxy was amazing for sure! However, Wonder is very close in quality and whimsy, I loved it a lot.Galaxy was amazing for sure! However, Wonder is very close in quality and whimsy, I loved it a lot.
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentOh, so many memories, I used to be so frustrated when the last hoop wouldn't go into the plastic spike where you were supposed to stack them, but when I finally managed it I was over the moon. I...Oh, so many memories, I used to be so frustrated when the last hoop wouldn't go into the plastic spike where you were supposed to stack them, but when I finally managed it I was over the moon.
I haven't seen one in ages, I wonder if they're still around. They should be, right? Right???
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentCongrats! You're the winner - I'll reach out via PM shortly.Congrats! You're the winner - I'll reach out via PM shortly.
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentThat's so cool, I had no idea they released it on Steam!That's so cool, I had no idea they released it on Steam!
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentA lot of the Zelda games are pretty timeless - technical limitations aside, they're still as enjoyable to play today as they were at release. Wish it was easier to play them nowadays (I dislike...A lot of the Zelda games are pretty timeless - technical limitations aside, they're still as enjoyable to play today as they were at release. Wish it was easier to play them nowadays (I dislike Nintendo's Switch Online and would rather deal with emulators instead).
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite (edited )LinkI'm not able to do anything too big this year, but I do want to give something away, so I'm willing to give away a copy of Balatro. Tell me about a game (video or not) or toy that you massively...I'm not able to do anything too big this year, but I do want to give something away, so I'm willing to give away a copy of Balatro.
Tell me about a game (video or not) or toy that you massively enjoyed as a kid. Would you gift it to a kid nowadays?
I'll select a random winner via Random.org, on Christmas' Eve. Good luck!
-
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
arqalite Link ParentWelp, I've heard so much good stuff about Slay the Spire that I might as well seize the opportunity. I like card games a lot, so this should be something fun to obsess over the holidays.Welp, I've heard so much good stuff about Slay the Spire that I might as well seize the opportunity. I like card games a lot, so this should be something fun to obsess over the holidays.
-
Comment on Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, Texas lawsuit says in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentThank you, I'll certainly try to do that.Thank you, I'll certainly try to do that.
-
Comment on Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, Texas lawsuit says in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentAbsolutely, and I think it's easy to fall into the illusion of thinking an AI chatbot is the perfect confidant to tell all your secrets to. It stays on your phone, it only talks when you want it...Absolutely, and I think it's easy to fall into the illusion of thinking an AI chatbot is the perfect confidant to tell all your secrets to. It stays on your phone, it only talks when you want it to, and you assume nobody would know what you just told it. (Until you realize that every chat is used as training data, thus theoretically being able to extract all your messages from the model, with careful prompting and a bit of engineering.)
Coupled with being a more lonely person, or an introvert, I can see how it's easy to make an AI the main source of social interaction. Why hang out with your friends when it might be a little difficult to fit that in your schedules (with helicopter parents and the usual serving of extra-curricular activities, kids don't get to hang out as much as they should), when "Taylor Swift" is two taps away and willing to talk to you about anything?
-
Comment on Audit of Mullvad VPN in ~comp
arqalite Link ParentOh god, I did not expect my retinas to be burnt by that green. I was having my phone on high brightness too... But yeah, at least we can appreciate the audit itself, we need more of these, more often.Oh god, I did not expect my retinas to be burnt by that green. I was having my phone on high brightness too...
But yeah, at least we can appreciate the audit itself, we need more of these, more often.
-
Comment on Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, Texas lawsuit says in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentChatGPT can speak a lot of languages, I would expect other AI models to do that too (or follow suit soon), so it might be worth being cautious. I haven't tested C.AI myself, dunno if I want to...ChatGPT can speak a lot of languages, I would expect other AI models to do that too (or follow suit soon), so it might be worth being cautious. I haven't tested C.AI myself, dunno if I want to make an account to see it for myself, as I already know what Gemini and ChatGPT are capable (those have a lot of guardrails implemented and yet can still output content I wouldn't show to a kid).
-
Comment on Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, Texas lawsuit says in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentYeah, I tried to tell her in broad words how AI models work, but she's not a technical person at all (unfortunately she does not have any computer literacy, as much as I tried to teach her the...Yeah, I tried to tell her in broad words how AI models work, but she's not a technical person at all (unfortunately she does not have any computer literacy, as much as I tried to teach her the essentials) so I had to resume to "this is a computer that downloaded all the information online, and when you talk to it, it tries to come up with a reply that resembles what is already online". It's not a great explanation, but at least it's something that lifts the magic veil off these AI models.
I do plan to have a longer discussion with her once I go back to my hometown for Christmas, with the goal of convincing her to uninstall the app, but I know she will be opposed to it. I don't want to remove her agency and just block the app remotely with the parental controls I already have, because I know I would have hated my parents (or in this case, my older sibling, if I had any) if this happened to me as a teen.
(God, this whole thing reminded me of how much I do not want kids - I can barely take care of myself, much less another person that relies fully on me for anything.)
-
Comment on Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, Texas lawsuit says in ~tech
arqalite Link ParentI also don't get why you would want to do that, I was never into fandoms as a teen though so I guess I just don't relate to them (instead I just hyperfixated on hobbies and changed them like...I also don't get why you would want to do that, I was never into fandoms as a teen though so I guess I just don't relate to them (instead I just hyperfixated on hobbies and changed them like socks).
I do think it's an extension of the common teenager behaviors of idolizing an artist/band/whatever and making it your entire personality. Having an AI that pretends to be that only helps fuel your fantasies, and I guess helps with feeling like you have a chance to talk to your idol(s).
How healthy that is? I can't say for sure.
I do recommend at least telling her the bare minimum, and ensuring she is aware that such AI services are not real people. I do think the biggest problem with these chatbots is that they quickly make you treat them like real people, and with enough time spent, you might even form bonds with them (making it difficult to stop chatting, or even reducing the time spent with real people in order to have more time with the chatbot).
-
Comment on Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, Texas lawsuit says in ~tech
arqalite (edited )LinkMy 14-year-old sister uses Character.AI, mostly to interact with AI models of her favorite pop stars. I haven't monitored her chats but I did have a discussion with her about the possible harms of...My 14-year-old sister uses Character.AI, mostly to interact with AI models of her favorite pop stars. I haven't monitored her chats but I did have a discussion with her about the possible harms of C.AI and I trust her to avoid inappropriate content when it appears - however seeing all this, I'm wondering if I should ask for her phone and check these chats for anything harmful.
My parents are technologically illiterate and they cannot really step in outside of confiscating her phone (which I don't want) so it's something I have to deal with. I do want her to have the freedom to do the things she likes but I also have to ensure her online safety, so I dunno.
I'll try to talk to her about it and maybe convince her to use the app less often (or not at all). Worst case scenario I can block the app from her phone but I hope I don't have do to that.
EDIT: I reached out to her, I got the "well, I dunno, it hasn't happened to me" treatment. She's an active user of the app so it's gonna be an uphill battle to convince her to give it up. She did however say she always reminds herself that these AI models are robots and will never take advice from them. I'll monitor the situation.
-
Comment on Romanian court annuls first round of presidential election in ~society
arqalite Link ParentIf the CCR has no jurisdiction to cancel the election, then who has it?If the CCR has no jurisdiction to cancel the election, then who has it?
(For context, I am building an Instagram-like media gallery meant to be integrated as a Notion widget, in a nutshell)
The past 4 days have been no-ops because I was on a work trip, but I'm picking stuff back up today.
Mostly looking at LemonSqueezy and their licensing features, could be a neat way to do the monetization thing (to recap, the code will be FOSS, so as long as you can spin up a Docker container and a Postgres you're golden, but we will also provide paid hosting of the service either as a single-payment purchase or a yearly subscription - very WIP, very subject to change)
Besides that I want to improve error handling a bit more, we treated the cases where your Notion database is empty or not in the expected format, but if the data source ID or Notion API token are invalid, we just render a blank page with a basic text message. instead, we should be rendering as much of the UI as possible and then show the nicer error modals I made for the rest of the app. Should be a trivial update since all of the parts are there, I just need to hook them up.
We're getting closer to being feature-complete for v1.0 which is exciting, but that means the programming work is gonna be over soon and I need to focus on distribution, licensing, figuring out who and where will support be offered, and literally everything else surrounding a pseudo-commercial program.