brews_hairy_cats's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2026-01 đšď¸âľđĄď¸ INSERT CARTRIDGE đ˘ The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in ~games
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Comment on US judge indicates Elon Muskâs fraud lawsuit against OpenAI will head to trial in ~tech
brews_hairy_cats LinkA federal judge on Wednesday indicated a jury will be allowed to decide whether artificial intelligence trailblazer OpenAI hoodwinked its billionaire co-founder Elon Musk during its evolution from a nonprofit research lab into a capitalistic enterprise now valued at $500 billion.
Without issuing an official ruling, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers made it clear that she intended to reject OpenAIâs motion to dismiss a 17-month-old case that Musk filed against a San Francisco startup that he helped create in 2015.
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US judge indicates Elon Muskâs fraud lawsuit against OpenAI will head to trial
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Comment on Mystery trader garners $400,000-plus windfall on Nicolas Maduro's capture in ~society
brews_hairy_cats LinkThere are some additional details in this NPR article https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667232/polymarket-maduro-bet-insider-trading Emphasis mine, so if the US cared to prosecute anyone, and...There are some additional details in this NPR article https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667232/polymarket-maduro-bet-insider-trading
Online sleuths have attempted to identify this trader with no luck. The account, which originally went by the handle "Burdensome-Mix" before changing its display name to a string of letters and numbers, joined Polymarket just weeks ahead of making the Maduro trade.
Chainalysis, a company that tracks crypto theft, told NPR it cannot determine the person behind the account, but noted that they are using several U.S. crypto exchanges to cash out, suggesting they are not trying to conceal their identity by funneling money through shadowy overseas exchanges, something that is typical in crypto fraud schemes.
Emphasis mine, so if the US cared to prosecute anyone, and that's a big if, then supposedly they have a solid lead there, if I'm understanding how that works
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Comment on Israel's population growth drops below 1% for the first time in ~society
brews_hairy_cats LinkIsraelâs fertility rate is declining in all sectors, with the population growth rate sinking under 1% for the first time since the foundation of the state, a new study by the TAUB Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel revealed on Wednesday.
The study revealed that the main factors for this decrease were a negative net migration rate, a stagnation in birth rates, and an expected increase in the absolute number of deaths in 2025.
As a result, the population growth rate fell to 0.9%, the lowest since 1.42% in 1981 and 1.35% in 1983.
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Israel's population growth drops below 1% for the first time
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of December 29 in ~society
brews_hairy_cats LinkRead Jack Smith's full deposition on the decision to indict Trump relating to January 6 and overturning the election results It's 255 pages, representing an eight hour long deposition, I've only...Read Jack Smith's full deposition on the decision to indict Trump relating to January 6 and overturning the election results
It's 255 pages, representing an eight hour long deposition, I've only looked at around pages 22-30, which in my opinion gets at the heart of the matter. I'd characterize those parts as, House Republicans asking leading questions to see if the former special counsel would trip up and say the prosecution was politically motivated. Instead, Jack Smith talks about how strong the case evidence was going to be, how there were many witnesses, many of them were Republicans in state government positions, who were reached out to by Trump, and who found what he was trying to do illegal
If anyone read past that and found anything interesting to add, please do
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Comment on Communities are rising up against data centers â and winning in ~society
brews_hairy_cats LinkThe article mentions legislations in Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, MinnesotaďťżLocal fights against new data centers are gaining bipartisan support across the US.
The groupâs latest report found that developers either canceled or delayed 20 projects after facing pushback from locals, representing $98 billion in proposed investments in the second quarter of this year. In fact, from late March through June, $24.2 billion in projects were blocked and $73.7 billion delayed. Thatâs an increase compared to 16 blocked or postponed projects from 2023 through the first quarter of this year, the group notes.
The number of proposed data center projects has grown, which is a big reason why opposition is also picking up steam. Inventory in the four biggest data center markets in North America â Northern Virginia, Chicago, Atlanta, and Phoenix â grew by 43 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of this year, according to commercial real estate company CBRE. But plans for massive new facilities have also sparked battles across the nation.
âNo community should be forced to sacrifice clean air, clean water, or safe homes so that corporations and billionaires can build energy-hungry facilities,â the NAACP said in guiding principles that it shared with The Verge in September for other grassroots groups working to hold data center developers accountable for their impact on nearby neighborhoods.
The article mentions legislations in Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota
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Communities are rising up against data centers â and winning
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Comment on What video games would you say have the best stories? Feel free to suggest more than one. in ~games
brews_hairy_cats LinkI have to ask, why not Baldur's Gate 3? Is it the length? I pushed through this holiday season and finally finished the last part of the game, it really is like three AAA games worth of content in...I have to ask, why not Baldur's Gate 3? Is it the length? I pushed through this holiday season and finally finished the last part of the game, it really is like three AAA games worth of content in one game, which I understand could sound intimidating. It holds up to the hype, really and truly. I usually skip over a lot of voiced dialogue in games, but the voice actors did such a phenomenal job in BG3, pulling me into the universe, they really got into their roles and sold the characters to me. The writing is magnificent, and impressively, it ties almost all the side quests into the main story, which is a rarity in the games I play, where sidequests are often filler storywise. It's even more unfathomably impressive with the branching story paths, that the writers had to account for. To manage all of that intricate writing is godlike
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of December 29 in ~society
brews_hairy_cats Link ParentI mean, if the quote is taken out of context that we know, everything that has been publicly reported on since last year during the elections, then yeah, we can't say the hand bruises alone are...I mean, if the quote is taken out of context that we know, everything that has been publicly reported on since last year during the elections, then yeah, we can't say the hand bruises alone are evidence of dementia. But... like, he's the president, the most public figure in the world, for the past eleven months, so if we really wanted to ignore all that context, if someone really wanted to defend this person's mental health for some reason...
I'm referring to the half-drooping face, which could be sign of a stroke. I'm referring to the slurring and his increasing mixing up of words in his speech, which goes beyond just the usual Trump lies, it's literally saying words that don't make sense in a sentence
There's been plenty of reporting on how he is showing telltale signs of dementia, for example-
- Donald Trump Being Monitored for Dementia, Expert Says
- Donald Trump Dementia Evidence âOverwhelming,â Says Top Psychiatrist
- Trumpâs abrupt decision to play DJ, a sign of âaccelerating cognitive declineâ says Cornell expert
- Trumpâs mental decline is undeniable â so what now?
- Forensic psychiatrist on physical signs of Trumpâs mental decline: âChanges in movement and gaitâ
A recent one is from Mary Trump, his niece, talking about how her grandfather, Fred Trump, who is Donald Trump's father, started showing Alzheimer's symptoms in his late 70s, and how Trump is now 79 years old and behaving in many of the same ways. It's tricky, because I'm not sure if Alzheimer's is hereditary, my searches tell me it's not exactly, so this might be a misleading claim from Mary Trump, idk
Anyway, it's more than paparazzi diagnosis, it's finding smoke, means there's fire, and the 25th amendment exists when a president cannot execute their duties. That's why this gets so much reporting, in my opinion. For anyone else, it'd be an invasion of privacy, but mental capability is a foundational question for a sitting president
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of December 29 in ~society
brews_hairy_cats LinkTrump has bruises on both hands now I've seen Internet theories it's due to a particular Alzheimer's treatment, that requires infusions through the hands, and would also explain Trump's MRIs he's...Trump has bruises on both hands now
I've seen Internet theories it's due to a particular Alzheimer's treatment, that requires infusions through the hands, and would also explain Trump's MRIs he's been getting
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Comment on Spain to launch âŹ60 monthly nationwide public transport pass, in January in ~transport
brews_hairy_cats LinkThe prime minister, Pedro SĂĄnchez, unveiled the initiative on Monday, saying it would come into effect in the second half of January and was intended âto change the way Spaniards understand and use public transport for everâ.
He said the pass, which will cost âŹ30 a month for those under 26, would allow people to âtravel anywhere in the countryâ on middle-distance and suburban trains, and on national bus services.
According to SĂĄnchez, the scheme could help some workers cut their monthly travel costs by as much as 60%.
âWeâre talking about 2 million people who will be paying less each month to get to work, to get home or to do their day-to-day stuff,â he said. âThatâs what governing is about: making the important things easier for ordinary people.â
The Spanish scheme follows a similar initiative in Germany, which introduced a âŹ49-a-month ticket covering regional rail, metro, trams and bus travel across the country in 2023.
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Spain to launch âŹ60 monthly nationwide public transport pass, in January
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Comment on Good News Everyone! in ~news
brews_hairy_cats LinkMacKenzie Scott announced another $7.1 billion in 2025 charitable donationsâshe's now given away $26.3 billion since 2019This year's donations went to a wide range of nonprofits including several historically Black colleges and universities, and organizations focused on issues including poverty, social injustice and climate change.
Scott's updated philanthropic tally puts her behind only fellow billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in terms of lifetime giving, according to Forbes. Forbes still estimates a $29.9 billion net worth for Scott, who became one of the world's wealthiest women following her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 14 in ~games
brews_hairy_cats LinkSilent Hill f is on sale at GOG for $41.99, 40% off. It's a new historical low price, according to IsThereAnyDeal I haven't heard much about it, if it's good enough to be worth it at that price?Silent Hill f is on sale at GOG for $41.99, 40% off. It's a new historical low price, according to IsThereAnyDeal
I haven't heard much about it, if it's good enough to be worth it at that price?
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Comment on How Europe is gearing up to follow Australia's teen social media ban in ~tech
brews_hairy_cats LinkThe ten apps getting banned for under-16's in Australia are: Tiktok Instagram Snapchat Youtube Facebook Twitch X Reddit Kick ThreadsThe European Union is "watching and will be learning" from Australia's new laws to bar under 16s from social media which officially roll out on December 10.
Australia led the world in introducing laws to require 10 platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat to take reasonable steps to block young users or face fines of up to $49.5 million.
Europe is now eyeing similar bans, as well as proposals for a late-night "curfew", curbs on addictive features, and an EU-wide age verification app.
The ten apps getting banned for under-16's in Australia are:
- Tiktok
- Snapchat
- Youtube
- Twitch
- X
- Kick
- Threads
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How Europe is gearing up to follow Australia's teen social media ban
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Comment on Chinaâs growth is coming at the rest of the worldâs expense in ~society
brews_hairy_cats LinkWho has contributed more to the rest of the worldâs growth this year: China or the United States?
The answer is the U.S., and it isnât even close. Even as the U.S. rolls out tariffs, its imports are up 10% so far this year from a year earlier. And as China moralizes against protectionism, its imports are down 3%, in dollar terms.
A recent report by economists at Goldman Sachs starkly laid this out. In the past, they wrote, 1% more output in China would raise the rest of the worldâs output by 0.2% as it pulled in imports.
In their new forecast, the Goldman team has concluded that the relationship has turned negative. Chinaâs growth, they write, is being driven by its âleadershipâs determination and capability to further advance manufacturing competitiveness and boost exports.â
This is positive for other countries insofar as cheaper Chinese goods boost purchasing power. But that benefit is more than offset by the hit to their manufacturing sectors from Chinese competition. The upshot is that Goldman sees China growing about 0.6 percentage point a year faster over the next few years, but that will reduce the rest of the worldâs growth by 0.1 point a year.
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Chinaâs growth is coming at the rest of the worldâs expense
9 votes
I beat The Wind Waker! It stood up well for a more than two decade old game! I'll start with my complaints, and then the good parts
First, getting the game on RetroDeck on my steam deck was hard, even with the very helpful guides in these comments. Once I finally got it working, I actually enjoyed the game a lot, I found the first half incredible!
Before long, I came to my senses and I realized, I hate 3D platformers, seriously! I played A Hat in Time last year, after hearing its rave reviews, and I get why people loved that game, but it also frustrated me so much. Now that I think about it, that game and Wind Waker have a lot in common, they're both cute and quirky, they're colorful, a lot of gameplay is about collecting items. And 3D platforming.
Rant time, swinging on ropes and jumping between ropes, it was not fun for me. Anything involving slippery floors, frustrating and not fun. Bats, skulls, sharks, any monsters knocking me out of the air out of my path, that was pure BS
There were too many gauntlet fights toward the end, during the forced collection part, that I think another commenter mentioned. I actually did the optional super long gauntlet, it was a good challenge, but it was just way too long and repetitive
There were a couple of puzzle rooms that I got stuck in for a really long time each. I tried hard not to look at guides for puzzle rooms, I and I lucked into the solutions a few times
Wind dungeon puzzle
I got stuck for a long time in the second room of the Wind Temple. The solution is just to put the Korok on the dirt patch on the far side of the room. I hated this room, because there's no indication of what the dirt patch even means, until I gave up and walked the Korok over, for no reason in particular. I got stuck trying to flip up the wall using the deku leaf, trying to throw bombs onto the wall, trying to get the Korok to blow wind somehow, nothing was working, obviously
Fire island
This one was super frustrating, because the solution is right there, but the game doesn't tell the player how to do anything. All I had to do was kill the two centipedes, and a chest appears. The problem was, I had no idea the centipedes could die! The centipedes appear in an earlier dungeon, and I hit one like twenty times, and it didn't die, so I thought these were the same. On the same platform as those centipedes, there's one of those giant rock faces, and when I pressed A on it, the red dragon boat had a dialogue saying, with the power I currently have, I cannot move or damage the rock face, so I should give up, so I actually left the island, thinking okay, I'll come back later! That was terrible advice! I ended up having to look up the solution, which was just to kill the centipedes, and I didn't realize they could die just by hitting them while they're curled up. I don't think this even counts as a puzzle, but I got stuck on it, and that part made me angry, lol
One of the collection items needed near the end of the game
There's one annoying af triforce piece near the Private Oasis. On the IN-credible map, it leads me to a spot in the ocean where there's a Big Octo, so I killed it, and it gave me a 100 rupees. Needless to say, I wasted a lot of time sailing around here, looking for the triforce. It turns out, the triforce is on the private island, and I'm supposed to know to look up for some reason, and go through the fireplace? Are you shitting me, game? Lol
How to get treasures from the sea
It took me the longest time to figure out that I could use the grappling hook to get treasures from the sea. How tf was I supposed to know that? It wasn't until after I got the hookshot that I happened to figure this out. I tried the hookshot, nope, tried the boomerang, closer. I didn't think the grappling hook would do anything, but I tried it because I was literally just trying every item. Out popped the crane, for some reason. That's some crazy game design, omg
The final boss
I got stuck on the puppet boss for more than half an hour, because it's not clear that light arrows could hurt the glass bead on the tail. I tried literally every other combination of attacks and items to try to hurt the monster, try to jump on its back, try to cut the remaining rope, I hit that glass bead with hammers, rocks, swords, even a fire arrow. I jumped up on the platforms so many times with the hookshot, so I could try to jump on the puppet's head, which doesn't work. This one could be on me, though, I don't know why I didn't use the light arrow. If the bead were glowing with darkness, maybe I would have thought to use light arrows on it straight away, but it looked more like ice to me. Ugh!
Wow, my complaints ended up being too long, lol. I'll write up the good parts of the game next time