cesarandreu's recent activity
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Comment on What are your thoughts on audiobooks? in ~books
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
cesarandreu LinkI prepared some dough and alternated between making calzones and pizza. The calzones were shaped a bit ugly but it's pretty easy to prepare and infinitely versatile since you can add anything you...I prepared some dough and alternated between making calzones and pizza. The calzones were shaped a bit ugly but it's pretty easy to prepare and infinitely versatile since you can add anything you want.
One of the standout ingredients was baked tomato strips. I took half a roma tomato, removed the core and seeds, sliced it into strips, and baked it with oil and a bit of light seasoning. When you bite into the strips you get a way more concentrated blast of tomato-y flavor.
The other standout ingredient was using sliced Castelvetrano olives! I'm used to black olives on pizza, which taste fine and are usually chosen as a cost-saving measure. But using better olives definitely elevates the meal.
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Comment on Any obscure songs you'd like to share? in ~music
cesarandreu LinkI thought of a different one that I have also been a bit obsessed with recently, inspired by The Odyssey: Sirens Call.Odyssey 12.185-192.Homer.Bettina Joy de Guzman.I thought of a different one that I have also been a bit obsessed with recently, inspired by The Odyssey: Sirens Call.Odyssey 12.185-192.Homer.Bettina Joy de Guzman.
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Comment on Any obscure songs you'd like to share? in ~music
cesarandreu LinkThis is my favorite song: Art of Life, by X Japan. Recently I found Transcendental Cha Cha Cha, by Tom Cardy and I've been a bit addicted.This is my favorite song: Art of Life, by X Japan.
Recently I found Transcendental Cha Cha Cha, by Tom Cardy and I've been a bit addicted.
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Comment on Women should be able to open things in ~life.women
cesarandreu LinkThis article highlights the difference in grip strength between men and women, and it points out that many containers require an inordinate amount of force to open. Considering half the population...This article highlights the difference in grip strength between men and women, and it points out that many containers require an inordinate amount of force to open. Considering half the population are women, maybe businesses should be more receptive to their needs and design easier to open containers. It would be an accessibility win and provide an overall better experience for everyone.
The comments on that post made me realize how absurd it is that you might need to pull off some special trick just to open a container. I've experienced containers that just feel clunky to open and it's always a slight point of frustration against that company.
Have you experienced any points of frustration when opening something?
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Women should be able to open things
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Comment on What am I supposed to say to my coworker who says that there has basically been no impact from USAID being cut because "the black lady...the nurse at the health place" said so? in ~talk
cesarandreu LinkThe truth is that due to the DOGE USAID cuts it is very unlikely we are ever going to get an accurate accounting of the death toll. The projected death models are obviously going to bake in a ton...The truth is that due to the DOGE USAID cuts it is very unlikely we are ever going to get an accurate accounting of the death toll. The projected death models are obviously going to bake in a ton of assumptions which could be subject to debate, and in a good faith environment that would generally be considered a good thing if it helps us get closer to truth or if it helps us think about the problem space more clearly.
It's worth pointing out that the number that gets thrown around a lot is based on a model using projected deaths across multiple years which haven't happened yet, so that might also be one point of confusion.
I'm not sure we have had great reporting on the current state of the resource pipelines after the DOGE disruptions. It was my understanding that their cuts were so sudden that it disrupted many of the supply lines, and that fixing that or switching providers would be difficult since it would require getting in touch with a bunch of people who don't know each other. Around the time of the cuts I do remember some stories about how certain supplies were stuck in the US because they couldn't figure out where and who to send them to.
If you're dealing with an extreme contrarian I think the simplest thing to do is bite the bullet and show them evidence of specific cases where people were harmed. Although I've seen some of these ghouls demanding huge lists of names, and if there's not an article written about each and every single one of them they say it's fake. I think some people genuinely cannot conceive of what it's like to live among the poorest humans in the world.
One recent article I was reading about the cuts is also directly relevant here: The Hidden Cost of USAID Cuts: Floods, Disease and Poverty (archive link for paywall bypass). It gives concrete examples of real human lives being affected directly due to the USAID cuts.
Honestly, the image of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, celebrating with glee with his chainsaw on stage, while he destroys the lives of thousands of the poorest of the poor, is seared in my memory. All for such a tiny amount of money that it wouldn't even register as pocket change for him. And now he denies any wrongdoing.
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Comment on What are you looking forward to? in ~talk
cesarandreu LinkJudgement Day is very unlikely to happen but if it did I think it would be interesting to watch. Less realistically, I hope we will live to see a day where the mountain of corruption in government...Judgement Day is very unlikely to happen but if it did I think it would be interesting to watch.
Less realistically, I hope we will live to see a day where the mountain of corruption in government and business comes crashing down, and that cold impartial justice is served. No more protecting the child rapists and the sex trafficking ghouls. No more war crimes. Accountability.
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Comment on Tildos, let's be unserious for a while; show us your dankest memes and god-tier shitposts! in ~talk
cesarandreu LinkI think about this quote at least once a week: Honorable mention: These are originals made by me: I fear the man who has made one shitpost 10,000 times. - Bruce Lee What if we kissed in the...I think about this quote at least once a week:
“Ankh-Morpork had dallied with many forms of government and had ended up with that form of democracy known as One Man, One Vote. The Patrician was the Man; he had the Vote.”
― Terry Pratchett, MortHonorable mention:
“I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.”
― Terry Pratchett, SourceryThese are originals made by me:
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I fear the man who has made one shitpost 10,000 times. - Bruce Lee
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What if we kissed in the absolute in infinity (from CIA's Gateway Report)
Most recently, I had this idea for a taoism meme where the courtyard disciples were calling you effortboy and saying you lack wu wei as you stand in the center crying and mildly angry, but I used AI to help and it didn't land well, so I've been meaning to revisit that one by doing it manually. In particular I really like "effortboy" as an attempted jab. The contradiction with taoism disciples calling someone effortboy just makes me smile.
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Comment on Silicon Valley has a science fiction problem in ~tech
cesarandreu Link ParentNot mentioned in the article, but Accelerando by Charles Stross has influenced a lot of the thinking around AI and transhumanism in Silicon Valley.Not mentioned in the article, but Accelerando by Charles Stross has influenced a lot of the thinking around AI and transhumanism in Silicon Valley.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
cesarandreu LinkI just finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North and it's outstanding. The time loop / life restarting concept is executed perfectly. Strong recommendation.I just finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North and it's outstanding. The time loop / life restarting concept is executed perfectly. Strong recommendation.
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Comment on Did Kamala Harris's silence on Gaza cost her the White House? in ~society
cesarandreu Link ParentIf we are going to postulate that the Trump shooting was staged, I don't see why we would assume that the shooter was handling a real weapon and ammo at all. You could rig up something behind...If we are going to postulate that the Trump shooting was staged, I don't see why we would assume that the shooter was handling a real weapon and ammo at all. You could rig up something behind Trump's ear to make it look it had been grazed, no actual grazing shot would be required. And if we're going this far into the conspiracy, I don't see why the organizers wouldn't be willing to sacrifice someone in the crowd to make it believable.
I think there was also a hypothesis that some part of the podium was hit and he was grazed by some of that material rather than a bullet. One could point out that Trump's ear looks suspiciously fine and it healed pretty quickly.
To be clear, I don't actually think the shooting was staged, but I think your objection assumes certain invariants which aren't necessary to hold up the conspiracy.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #8: What is your favorite video game? (Results) in ~talk
cesarandreu LinkIt's a hard question, if I'm going by hours played then it's definitely Heroes of the Storm; hots is the one I keep coming back to. The other top picks would be Brood War or StarCraft 2, because I...It's a hard question, if I'm going by hours played then it's definitely Heroes of the Storm; hots is the one I keep coming back to. The other top picks would be Brood War or StarCraft 2, because I spent so many hours playing both and they significantly shaped who I was growing up.
If I was to pick the best overall video game, I think my vote would go towards Portal (and Portal 2). Everything about Portal is perfect for me: the game doesn't drag out for too long and all of the elements come together perfectly.
If I had to give an honorable mention it would be Super Mario World for the SNES. I think this is was the peak of side-scrollers. It was my first game and it just perfected the genre across all dimensions for me.
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Comment on Have you tried Pewdiepies' self-hosted AI workspace, Odysseus? in ~tech
cesarandreu Link ParentI wasn't following him around during that era, but I started to get into a couple of his videos when he began encouraging people to read more. He also stopped grinding mainstream YouTube content...I wasn't following him around during that era, but I started to get into a couple of his videos when he began encouraging people to read more. He also stopped grinding mainstream YouTube content and moved to Japan with his wife and child and started making vlogs.
As I understand it, he had a few problematic blips over the years, but I think he grew up and moved on, and he has become a fairly positive influence. At least he's not a massive scammer like the Paul brothers.
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Comment on Which Substacks do you subscribe to/follow? in ~tech
cesarandreu LinkThe only one I regularly read is Scott Alexander's Astral Codex Ten. I made one in 2024 because I was hoping to convert various drafts I've had prepared over the years into proper posts, but I...The only one I regularly read is Scott Alexander's Astral Codex Ten.
I made one in 2024 because I was hoping to convert various drafts I've had prepared over the years into proper posts, but I keep putting it off. Although in 2025 after a major political figure was killed I did feel like the energy was hectic enough that it did push me to write an off-the-cuff post about debate bros and how their public performances are usually equivalent to smurfing on uneducated randoms.
Every once in a while I feel motivated to try again because I want to connect with more people in order to share and discuss thoughts and ideas, but it keeps getting pushed out. I also tend to jump around topics and it feels like most platforms reward you for focusing heavily on a single topic so that you eventually become known as the main guy for some topic, but I don't want to become that.
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Comment on ASL Season 21 finals -- FlaSh vs soma in ~games
cesarandreu LinkThis is a VOD of ASL 21, the premier Brood War tournament in South Korea, which was played last weekend. Since Brood War is my favorite game and I'm very passionate about it I wanted to share what...This is a VOD of ASL 21, the premier Brood War tournament in South Korea, which was played last weekend. Since Brood War is my favorite game and I'm very passionate about it I wanted to share what I consider to be the series of the year. It's really amazing that Brood War is still going so strong since it was released in 1998. I've linked to the Artosis / Tasteless cast of the series. If you're curious about the highest levels of RTS player, I think this series showcases it spectacularly.
One of the most amazing things about Brood War is that it hasn't received any patches in over 20 years, but the meta has continued to evolve and new builds still pop up from time to time. The game is actually balanced around maps, so there have been people who have studied this game extensively for literal decades in order to create well balanced maps that allow for high level gameplay. When I say that the game is balanced around maps, this means that various features of the maps are designed such that none of the game's races is able to gain too much of an extreme advantage.
This season in particular was very special because we saw the return of FlaSh, who is widely regarded as the greatest Brood War player of all time. He said he would be playing for one final season after having retired a few years back. The FlaSh that we see today is a grizzled veteran, although the years have not been kind to him. He's had multiple wrist surgeries and he says that he can no longer grind the same number of games as when he was younger because his wrists start to hurt. In interviews with other pro Brood War players they always say that when you're preparing to play against FlaSh in his peak you cannot really find anyone to practice with who can match his level of play.
Spoilers.
I'm not going to do a writeup for each game as that would be too time consuming, but part of what made this series so exciting is that it went the distance to all 7 games! soma adapted perfectly and he responded to FlaSh's greedy builds perfectly. From FlaSh we saw him make mech builds work vs Zerg multiple times, something that is widely considered out of fashion and non-standard.I hope this writeup is enough to motivate at least a few people to give Brood War a try, since it was the first video game I fell in love with and I still keep coming back to it nearly 30 years later.
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ASL Season 21 finals -- FlaSh vs soma
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Comment on What's your dream job? in ~life
cesarandreu LinkArchwizard.Archwizard.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
cesarandreu Link ParentI don't think I can comment on the quality of his older videos since I was pretty late in discovering him and I've never looked through the back catalogue. But from what I can tell, they've never...I don't think I can comment on the quality of his older videos since I was pretty late in discovering him and I've never looked through the back catalogue. But from what I can tell, they've never been particularly high quality. I think what will make him stand out as a memorable figure is the fact that he was the first to try so many things and he's been one of the key figures in defining the "meta" for the past 5+ years. There's always this fixation on breaking records or being the biggest at whatever they're doing.
The secret of his success probably comes down to obsessively studying and understanding the YouTube algorithm. When he says that his goal is to make the greatest YouTube video he's serious about using that as his north star.
I think the meta with tons of fast cuts, zero downtime, and lots of yelling was popularized by MrBeast, although he eventually moved away from that content style as he tried to create more room for breathing. It's hard to say if he's the one to create a trend or if he just popularized it, but whenever he does something it tends to get adopted by everyone else. One technique that I think he popularized was showing a preview of things that would come later in the video, so very often he'll tease the climax right at the start before cutting to something else.
Oh, one tool that often goes unremarked is that he's quite dedicated about chasing a global audience. I think he was the first major creator that had his content dubbed in every major language. He used to have dozens of channels where he would upload dubbed versions of his videos until YouTube finally rolled out multiple audio channels specifically for him.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
cesarandreu Link ParentThanks for the video suggestion, that was pretty interesting. I've been following MrBeast's story for a few years now and this whole venture feels like something that should be studied. I don't...Thanks for the video suggestion, that was pretty interesting. I've been following MrBeast's story for a few years now and this whole venture feels like something that should be studied. I don't particularly care for the primary content, but all the videos around production and behind the scenes are actually quite interesting and telling of his mindset.
Watching this video I kept thinking about how during this new age of AI psychosis many people have started bragging once more about how they're able to pump out thousands of lines of vibe coded slop every day. It feels like there's something in the water supply that encourages this kind of mindset where you keep turning up a knob to 11 and bragging about it, without any core substance. Jimmy has bragged extensively about how he's constantly overworked and how he doesn't have any free time because he's always working on some new video. I cannot help but think that he would benefit from slowing down and enjoying life a bit; maybe if he sits down long enough the juices will start flowing and he'll find some creative inspiration. The real tragedy is that he has locked himself into a endless marathon which can only end in failure or death.
A broader issue with MrBeast that came to mind is that it doesn't feel like he's doing long-term investments in quality. Most of his content gets hyped up briefly and then it's forgotten as the endless conveyor-belt of media continues turning. How many people will look back on classic MrBeast videos and decide to rewatch them for nostalgia?
I've listened to hundreds of audiobooks. I listen at 2x or higher depending on the complexity of the story and the prose, as well as what I'm doing while listening. I generally prefer simpler narration without any effects or too much acting because I find the voices that they put on to be a bit annoying at times.
+1 Audiobookshelf too, it's a great piece of software.
I don't know if I have any particular suggestions for specific audiobooks. Stephen Fry has a retelling of a bunch of Greek myths where he's the narrator and he has quite the charming voice. The woman who voices The Wandering Inn does a great job as well, she has a surprisingly versatile voice.