cfabbro's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentI've read a ton of short stories and novellas that I would love to discus with others too. Kurt Vonnegut, my own personal favorite author, has a glut of excellent ones, a lot of them being scifi...I've read a ton of short stories and novellas that I would love to discus with others too. Kurt Vonnegut, my own personal favorite author, has a glut of excellent ones, a lot of them being scifi as well.
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentYeah, you're not alone in being hesitant to commit to a particular book. And I think picking books that are too much of a commitment is probably why most book clubs (esp online) eventually fall...Yeah, you're not alone in being hesitant to commit to a particular book. And I think picking books that are too much of a commitment is probably why most book clubs (esp online) eventually fall apart, since it starts feeling like homework instead of reading for fun. And yeah, the cost and accessibility is another issue too. But that's precisely why I thought Roadside Picnic was an ideal book to pick, since it's only 224 pages (which is only slightly longer than a typical novella), available in a bunch of languages, relatively inexpensive, and also written by long-dead authors so can be pirated guilt-free.
So if we do continue this, trying to keep those things in mind, and suggesting/picking similar types of books (or short stories) next time will be something I will likely strongly encourage.
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentIf this book club event turns out well, I was planning on opening the floor for suggestions for the next book we could potentially read, in a separate topic afterwards. But a short story, several...If this book club event turns out well, I was planning on opening the floor for suggestions for the next book we could potentially read, in a separate topic afterwards. But a short story, several of them, or even an anthology would also work too... and I am always down for reading more scifi! So if you can hold off for a month, you would be more than welcome to add your own suggestions for short stories about AI to that next book club topic, once I post it.
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Comment on Investigation: Who’s telling the truth about Disco Elysium? in ~games
cfabbro (edited )LinkIn this video, People Make Games delves really deep into all the various allegations and lawsuits surrounding Disco Elysium and the studio behind it, ZA/UM, and IMO does some incredible...In this video, People Make Games delves really deep into all the various allegations and lawsuits surrounding Disco Elysium and the studio behind it, ZA/UM, and IMO does some incredible investigative journalism on the subject. They even went so far as to interview ZA/UM's CEO, Ilmar Kompus, as well as a bunch of other current+former employees (one of whom, Argo Tuulik, was also a founding member of the original ZA/UM Cultural Association artist collective, is still with the company, and strongly disagrees with Robert Kurvitz's version of events). It puts everything in context, and shows just how insanely complicated and murky ZA/UM's history, ownership, and the current legal situation really is.
And just my personal opinion, but despite how dodgy the whole ownership debacle was, and how shady many of the investors were/are, the video also does not paint a very flattering picture of Robert Kurvitz, or his partner Helen Hindpere either. Kurvitz is talked about by all the other employees as being incredibly difficult to work with/for, toxic, selfish, and self-aggrandizing, and Hindpere as a bit of slacker who didn't actually do much work at the company, and didn't actually do much writing either despite her job title. Aleksander Rostov is about the only person that was talked about fondly by the others, but also as being a bit of a stooge for Kurvitz.
So take all that for what you will... but to me the whole things sounds like an absolute mess. Kurvitz may have been naive, and taken advantage of when it came to ownership shares of the company and its IP, but it doesn't sound like he's entirely innocent here either. And regardless of whether he should have been given a larger slice of the pie for his original ideas for the world, and his contributions to the game, it still sounds like he was actually fired for genuine cause (esp if he really did try to steal the game's source code, as was alleged, and sounds likely).
cc: @dubteedub since you posted an IGN article last year about Robert Kurvitz's allegations regarding ZA/UM, and took them at face value.
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Investigation: Who’s telling the truth about Disco Elysium?
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Hunting the extraordinary nipa palm fruit (and the strange ways that you eat it) | Weird Fruit Explorer
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Multi-layer reactive foil: no fuel, no oxygen, tons of heat
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Comment on We moved into a vacant house in the Japanese countryside (and only pay $300/year for rent) in ~life
cfabbro Link ParentHow we are adapting to countryside life in Japan (& befriending the creepy crawlies) -
Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentI was basically just going to open the floor for discussion, of whatever variety people felt like starting up and contributing to. But after I reread the book myself (which I just started this...I was basically just going to open the floor for discussion, of whatever variety people felt like starting up and contributing to. But after I reread the book myself (which I just started this morning) I can come up with a few specific questions to help kick things off, if you think it would help. I’ve never actually ran or even participated in a book club before, so I’m totally open to suggestions on how best to run one.
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro Link ParentDitto. Although it's been quite a few years since I last read it, so I'm actually looking forwards to rereading it myself as well. :PLooking forward to hear some fresh takes on it!
Ditto. Although it's been quite a few years since I last read it, so I'm actually looking forwards to rereading it myself as well. :P
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro Link ParentOkay, I'll stick to the month for now. But afterwards, if we do this again I will take more feedback on the timing of things.Okay, I'll stick to the month for now. But afterwards, if we do this again I will take more feedback on the timing of things.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2023, a week-long charity fundraising event featuring speedruns, has begun in ~games
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentYeah, I'm not accusing you of anything either, @Bullmaestro... but you should probably be made aware that you may be inadvertently using the exact same coded language as bigots, who use that...Yeah, I'm not accusing you of anything either, @Bullmaestro... but you should probably be made aware that you may be inadvertently using the exact same coded language as bigots, who use that particular wording as a dogwhistle to complain to their fellow bigots about LGBT+/minority/women inclusivity, and increased representation at certain previously white, cis-male dominated events, and in media. So even though I do not believe that's where you're coming from, you may still want to take a critical look at where you first heard those kind of complaints and from whom, since it could be that you're potentially being drawn into an alt-right/"anti-SJW" rabbit hole using a slightly more palatable/relatable gateway complaint. E.g. The same sort of complaints are how Gamergate drew so many people into it, despite it being rotten and misogynistic at its core.
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Comment on Tally of covid-19 cases after CDC conference climbs to 181 in ~health
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentOr it might be the opposite... they're so tired of dealing with COVID on a daily basis that they have burnt out and become even more lax than the general public would be in a similar situation. Or...Or it might be the opposite... they're so tired of dealing with COVID on a daily basis that they have burnt out and become even more lax than the general public would be in a similar situation. Or they might have also assumed that given everyone there was with the CDC in some capacity, and so presumably fully vaccinated and boosted, that they didn't have to be as cautious with their hygiene and social distancing. And if too many people acted the same way, the virus was given ample opportunity to spread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Electric cars prove we need to rethink brake lights
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro Link ParentYVW. :) And yeah, since several people mentioned putting a hold on the book at their library, I figured I should give it a bit of time before I created the discussion topic about it. Do you think...YVW. :) And yeah, since several people mentioned putting a hold on the book at their library, I figured I should give it a bit of time before I created the discussion topic about it. Do you think a month is not long enough though? If so, I can always delay it a bit longer. Although Tildes topic bump mechanics, the activity sort, and me sending out pings should hopefully help with extending the participation, regardless of when the discussion topic initially gets posted.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2023, a week-long charity fundraising event featuring speedruns, has begun in ~games
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentCOVID-19 may not be considered a global health emergency anymore, but that just means it's no longer at the elevated threat level it was before. However, it's still a major worldwide health...COVID-19 may not be considered a global health emergency anymore, but that just means it's no longer at the elevated threat level it was before. However, it's still a major worldwide health concern. And the fact that 181 people caught it recently at a CDC conference shows that it's clearly still worth being cautious about and taking precautions against.
And I also completely disagree about the "overly corporate, sanitisied and soulless" feel being behind the low viewership this year too. I've been a fan of speedrunning for a very long time, and while the thrown-together, haphazard charm of the older events is not as present, they were also full of their own problems (especially participant hygiene and inappropriate/offensive/bigoted behavior), and were far from appealing to most people outside the tight-nit (at the time) community, hence the old events' own incredibly low viewership.
So IMO the new way its being put together now is actually very likely the main reason for GDQ blowing up in popularity in the first place since it has way more mass appeal now, is more inclusive, and is far more family friendly... and not the reverse, as you suggest. And also IMO the lower viewership this year is more just a matter of oversaturation and fatigue at this point, which was inevitable after the recent speedrunning popularity boom, and the overinflated viewership of the last few years, both which were caused in large part thanks to the pandemic giving everyone way more free time.
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Comment on Tildes Pop-up Book Club: Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in ~books
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentYeah, Libby or hoopla are probably the best place for people to get their hands on it, if they live in North America and have a library card. That's where I get most of my ebooks (and graphic...Yeah, Libby or hoopla are probably the best place for people to get their hands on it, if they live in North America and have a library card. That's where I get most of my ebooks (and graphic novels) these days too.
p.s. I recently discovered you can read Libby books on your kindle device if you live in the US. That feature is unfortunately not available in Canada yet though. :(
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
cfabbro (edited )Link ParentCongrats! And yeah, $45k/yr difference is nothing to scoff at, and even if it wasn't your first pick, that does sound like a pretty interesting (and challenging) job. There is also lots of room...Congrats! And yeah, $45k/yr difference is nothing to scoff at, and even if it wasn't your first pick, that does sound like a pretty interesting (and challenging) job. There is also lots of room for career growth in the solar and solar adjacent industries these days too, so it's a good one to get your foot in. My father ran an engineering company that made power conduits, mounts, fittings, and plug & play electrical connectors used in large scale solar installations. It was a booming business, and so I worked in IT there for a time too (hooray for nepotism!) ;)
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
cfabbro (edited )Link Parent@AugustusFerdinand has had some luck in getting similar suggestions by making a self post about it in ~hobbies (e.g. NYC, Denver). So if you don't get any responses here, you could try doing that...@AugustusFerdinand has had some luck in getting similar suggestions by making a self post about it in ~hobbies (e.g. NYC, Denver). So if you don't get any responses here, you could try doing that yourself.
As for my own suggestion, I've never actually been to Scotland as a tourist, despite living in London for several years. I had to drive up there for work once, to a small village outside Glasgow, but that was only a very quick trip there and back again to pick up a computer that the company was contracted to do some forensics work on for the local constabulary. But were I to ever go back for a proper vacation, I would definitely make sure to stop by some of the famous Scotch whiskey distilleries there. So if you're also a whiskey drinker, and that seems like something you might also enjoy doing, VisitScotland.com has a section of the site dedicated to that:
https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/food-drink/whisky/distilleries/The one I would personally most like to visit is Ardbeg in Port Ellen, on the isle of Islay, since I've heard so much hype about them on Whiskey Tribe over the years. It's a bit out of the way, so might not be something worth doing spur of the moment, but there are others in the Edinburgh area that would probably be more convenient for you to visit.
Nice! Looking forward to hearing what you think of it. :)
However, the only problem with that copy is you'll miss out on the foreward written by Ursula K. Le Guin, which adds some interesting context to the novel. So in order to share that, I'll quickly write it out for you and anyone else interested in reading it:
And what follows from there is kinda getting into spoiler territory since it's just a copy of her old review of the book. So, I will simply link to that review, and people can read it or not read it at their own discretion:
https://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/12/leguin12.htm
(I would recommend not reading it until after you have read the book yourself)
p.s. Le Guin is mistaken about the Strugatsky brothers never being blatant, or directly critical of their government's policies though. Their next novel, The Doomed City was about as blatantly critical as it gets... but to be fair to her, the brothers kept that novel a total secret (supposedly even from family and friends) due to their fears about releasing something so inflammatory, and so it wasn't even published in Russia until 16 years later in 1989, at the tail end of perestroika, when they finally felt it was safe for them to do so. And it wasn't translated to and published in English until rather recently (2016), so it's not surprising she didn't know about it when she wrote the foreward.