babypuncher's recent activity
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Comment on Di.gg AI preview in ~tech
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Comment on Di.gg AI preview in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentThis is going to crash and burn hard. It's not what anyone who misses the old Digg actually wants.This is going to crash and burn hard. It's not what anyone who misses the old Digg actually wants.
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Comment on US landlords want to be paid for pandemic losses and hope to reach a deal with the Donald Trump administration in ~finance
babypuncher Link ParentAmerica's landlords should count themselves lucky we don't load them all up in the backs of unmarked vans and send them off a cliffAmerica's landlords should count themselves lucky we don't load them all up in the backs of unmarked vans and send them off a cliff
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Comment on The best climate news all year in ~enviro
babypuncher Link ParentAnd unemployment, don't forget that part. It's the reason the Epstein class is sinking so much money into AI to begin with.And unemployment, don't forget that part. It's the reason the Epstein class is sinking so much money into AI to begin with.
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Comment on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentReally it's just another reason why anything Google makes should be avoided like the plagueReally it's just another reason why anything Google makes should be avoided like the plague
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Comment on Apple set to become third-biggest laptop maker this year in ~tech
babypuncher (edited )Link ParentI use Orion on my phone and Firefox on my laptop and have noticed the same (awesome) behavior. I doubt Google or Microsoft would ever do it this way.I use Orion on my phone and Firefox on my laptop and have noticed the same (awesome) behavior. I doubt Google or Microsoft would ever do it this way.
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Comment on Apple set to become third-biggest laptop maker this year in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentI've never had macOS flat out ignore my default browser preference. Edge feels like bloatware because even after I tell Windows to use Firefox, random Windows apps still open links in Edge. So...I've never had macOS flat out ignore my default browser preference. Edge feels like bloatware because even after I tell Windows to use Firefox, random Windows apps still open links in Edge.
So much of the bloat in modern Windows is also advertising, not necessarily apps. By default, there are ads in the start menu. Search for an app or file on your computer? For some reason you get fucking web results. Windows just got a minor feature update? A bunch of privacy related settings just got reset to their default values. These are all things macOS does not do.
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Comment on Apple set to become third-biggest laptop maker this year in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentThe key difference between Apple and Google or Microsoft is that the user is the customer. Apple is selling you expensive hardware and they need to make the experience good in order to justify the...When Apple forces their users into their ecosystem, it's commonly spoken of as positive, but if Google, Microsoft, or anyone else does, it's not.
The key difference between Apple and Google or Microsoft is that the user is the customer. Apple is selling you expensive hardware and they need to make the experience good in order to justify the high price tag. With Google, the user is the product, they make their money harvesting user data and using it to drive the worlds largest ad platform. The same goes for Microsoft. This is reflected in how they build their software.
As an example of how that actually plays out in software design, look at how Apple and Microsoft handle their respective online accounts in their desktop operating systems. In Windows, it's become a hard requirement to set up your new computer with a Microsoft account. There are still some ways around it, but they've become increasingly difficult, because Microsoft really needs to pull you all the way into their ecosystem for their data collection. Apple has iCloud, but it's completely optional when you set up a new MacBook. It doesn't make any kind of fuss when you choose to set it up with a local account instead. They leave the door open for you to attach an iCloud account to that local account, but don't nag you after every update. They already got your money when they sold you a $2,000 laptop.
Ultimately, a relationship with any trillion dollar company is abusive to the end user, but the Apple relationship feels more honest: You know you're buying into their locked down ecosystem and what you get in exchange for it. I think that is why people generally feel better about it.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher (edited )Link ParentThis is a big deal for the Steam Controller, and likely a significant contributor to the cost (they're MacBook-style haptic trackpads, not just a simple multitouch surface like on PlayStation...Pretty much the only thing the steam controller has going for it is having trackpads
This is a big deal for the Steam Controller, and likely a significant contributor to the cost (they're MacBook-style haptic trackpads, not just a simple multitouch surface like on PlayStation controllers). The goal of the Steam Controller, going back to the original one in 2013, has been to make games designed for mouse and keyboard input easily playable with a controller you can use on your couch, and the trackpads are a big part of how they accomplish this.
If that is not a priority for you, then yeah, the controller doesn't make sense at this price point. But for anyone who does want this, none of these other controllers are even comparable.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher Link ParentYeah none of these other budget options look as classy as the 8bitdo. However, after getting a controller with tactile microswitch buttons, I can never go back to rubber membranes.Yeah none of these other budget options look as classy as the 8bitdo. However, after getting a controller with tactile microswitch buttons, I can never go back to rubber membranes.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher Link ParentI think there are better controllers out there for less money if your use case is sitting at a desk. This thing seems explicitly designed for couch gaming, specifically with those big and likely...I think there are better controllers out there for less money if your use case is sitting at a desk. This thing seems explicitly designed for couch gaming, specifically with those big and likely expensive trackpads.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher Link ParentThose $20-$30 controllers are competing with $50-$60 standard Xbox and Playstation controllers. The Steam Controller is much more comparable to the premium Xbox Elite and Dualsense Edge...There are great controllers from trustworthy companies for $20-30 that do everything a Microsoft-branded Xbox controller will do for $70. A PC gamepad for $100 is rather unusual.
Those $20-$30 controllers are competing with $50-$60 standard Xbox and Playstation controllers. The Steam Controller is much more comparable to the premium Xbox Elite and Dualsense Edge controllers, which live in the $150-$200 price bracket. The low cost competition for the Steam Controller is the same as for those other premium controllers: $70-$100 "pro" offerings from Chinese manufacturers like FlyDigi and GameSir (who notably also make a lot of the recommended $20-$30 controllers).
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher LinkI'm seeing a lot of love for the 8bitdo Ultimate controller here and while it's not a bad controller by any stretch, there are better options under $50 for PC in 2026I'm seeing a lot of love for the 8bitdo Ultimate controller here and while it's not a bad controller by any stretch, there are better options under $50 for PC in 2026
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher Link ParentThe ultimate 2 has gyro, but it's not a very stable gyro compared to the Dualsense or Switch 2 Pro controller. This is actually a huge deal for me because Steam Input makes setting per-game...The ultimate 2 has gyro, but it's not a very stable gyro compared to the Dualsense or Switch 2 Pro controller.
The 8bitdo software isn't quite Steam Input but provides a decent amount of customization.
This is actually a huge deal for me because Steam Input makes setting per-game controller profiles trivial while third party configuration apps just don't.
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Comment on New Steam Controller reportedly $99 in ~games
babypuncher (edited )Link ParentOne thing that this (probably) does well that the 8bitdo doesn't is a high quality low drift gyro. Right now, the controllers with the best gyros are the Dualsense and the Switch 2 Pro Controller,...One thing that this (probably) does well that the 8bitdo doesn't is a high quality low drift gyro. Right now, the controllers with the best gyros are the Dualsense and the Switch 2 Pro Controller, the latter of which is a hassle to use on PC.
I think the trackpads are a big deal in the living room, where this thing is really meant to be used with the Gabecube. They also aren't normal trackpads, they are pressure sensitive haptic trackpads (similar to what Apple uses on MacBook Pros). None of Valve's recently hardware seems intended to replace a conventional desktop setup.
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Comment on Christopher McQuarrie, Michael B. Jordan to tackle adaptation of ‘Battlefield’ video game in ~movies
babypuncher LinkNone of these games has a story even worth acknowledging, save for Bad Company 2.None of these games has a story even worth acknowledging, save for Bad Company 2.
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Comment on Brave Origin (Nightly), a paid, bloat-free version of Brave in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentYou don't understand, anti-LGBT, COVID-denying cryptobro CEO millionaires have it real tough out there. They have to put up with reasonable people like ourselves making fun of them for being...You don't understand, anti-LGBT, COVID-denying cryptobro CEO millionaires have it real tough out there. They have to put up with reasonable people like ourselves making fun of them for being terrible human beings. I hear he has to wipe his tears every night with $100 bills because of all the mean things said about him on the internet. Surely, they are the most oppressed class of people on this planet.
Like, what do you even expect them to do? Stop being insufferable jackasses? That's too much I say!
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Comment on At long last, InfoWars is ours - The Onion in ~news
babypuncher Link ParentGlobal Tetrahedron was created a few years ago by Jeff Lawson and Tim Collins to purchase The Onion from its previous owner, G/O MediaGlobal Tetrahedron was created a few years ago by Jeff Lawson and Tim Collins to purchase The Onion from its previous owner, G/O Media
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Comment on For $700 a month, sleeping pods make San Francisco more affordable, but at what cost in ~life
babypuncher LinkWhy would anyone go for this instead of just living literally anywhere else?Why would anyone go for this instead of just living literally anywhere else?
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Comment on Apple names insider John Ternus as CEO, Tim Cook to become executive chairman in ~tech
babypuncher (edited )Link ParentI genuinely don't see that happening with a pair of glasses. The Vision Pro seems more positioned for that, and I can see it working like that for a niche user base. However, a headset will always...Apple’s take on AR seems to be aiming more at being a Macintosh or iPad killer
I genuinely don't see that happening with a pair of glasses.
The Vision Pro seems more positioned for that, and I can see it working like that for a niche user base. However, a headset will always bee less convenient than an iPad or a laptop. A headset is too burdensome and too limiting for daily casual use.
If there is a meta glasses type of competitor I can see it making sense as part of a personal cloud of wearables.
Maybe this is just my social circles, but I don't know anyone who thinks positively of the Facebook glasses. The response to these things seems to range from "ehhh" to "anyone wearing these things in public gives me instant creep vibes". It probably doesn't help that Zuckerfuck looks like a total doofus wearing them.
I can see it making sense as part of a personal cloud of wearables. If anything replaces the smartphone that’s where I see things going where you’d have a compute unit in your pocket but your interface is done primarily through wearable devices connected to it that you interact with through hand gestures, voice commands, eye-tracking, head movements, etc.
This is all neat technology, but it needs to solve every day problems in such a manner that living without it seems like a pain. This is what smartphones did. They put the internet in your pocket, giving you instant access to any information you need wherever you need it, including stuff like GPS navigation. What everyday problem do smart glasses solve that my smartphone doesn't?
It launched in private beta last year, and went into public beta in January. Once public registration was available, it was immediately flooded with AI bots and they couldn't figure out how to reliably weed them out, so they shut it down.
Now they're bringing it back as something nobody wants.