clayh's recent activity
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Comment on Graduating college, starting work, and being lonely in ~talk
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Comment on Heat pumps used to struggle in the cold. Not anymore. in ~enviro
clayh LinkWe have 3 heat pumps now and I’ve had heat pumps my entire life. They may be more efficient now, but they are significantly less reliable. Rarely do 6 months go by without us having a problem with...We have 3 heat pumps now and I’ve had heat pumps my entire life. They may be more efficient now, but they are significantly less reliable. Rarely do 6 months go by without us having a problem with one of them. Two of the units are Mitsubishi mini-splits (one ducted and the other with wall-mounted heads). The other is a more traditional unit. The more traditional one is a Bosch unit.
At the moment, the Bosch (less than 3 years old) is broken. The wall-heads mini split exploded 2 days ago, when a circuit in it blew, causing all the coolant to leak out.
We never had problems like this in the 80s and 90s. Quality has plummeted.
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Comment on AirPods or not? in ~music
clayh LinkOne thing worth keeping in mind is that AirPods Pro 2 can also function as clinical-grade hearing aids and can be tuned to your specific hearing loss. There's some info here:...One thing worth keeping in mind is that AirPods Pro 2 can also function as clinical-grade hearing aids and can be tuned to your specific hearing loss. There's some info here: https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/hearing-health/
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Comment on Trees and land absorbed almost no CO2 last year in ~enviro
clayh LinkOne thing I always wonder about.... At some point, mitigating climate change is going to be an obviously huge economic opportunity. We aren't there yet, evidently, but I feel like once the dam...One thing I always wonder about.... At some point, mitigating climate change is going to be an obviously huge economic opportunity. We aren't there yet, evidently, but I feel like once the dam starts to spring leaks and the big-money players decide that they can make more money by helping mitigate climate change, that's when we will start to see serious progress.
I would love to see the USG invest in a climate change mitigation project on the scale of the moonshot research in the 1960s.
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Comment on What is the key 'gameplay loop' in a MUD game? in ~games
clayh LinkI played MUDs back in the early 1990s - I guess the "golden age". There were 3 main things that were super appealing, that drove my gameplay. The first was the social aspect. Players in guilds...I played MUDs back in the early 1990s - I guess the "golden age". There were 3 main things that were super appealing, that drove my gameplay.
The first was the social aspect. Players in guilds were really cool! I wanted to be in a guild, but the guilds were restrictive.... you had to go on raids with players, show that you could collaborate, etc. to be able to join. Once you joined, you could enter the guild hall, which was restricted only to members. This was really cool!
The second was that (in the ones I played) once you hit level 18, you were a Wizard. The Wizards were the ones to coded the MUD and could create new areas, build the lore, new spells, etc. Plus, you could use all sorts of magic stuff that was not available to non-Wizards. The social collaboration continued on to the actual shared building of the MUD world, which was very cool.
The final was exploration. I grew up on Zork and other Infocom games and exploring a MUD was similar. It was awesome to map out a new area, figure out where various mobs were camped, find new mysterious locked doors, etc. As a lower-level player, mastering the knowledge of the game world could be a wholly single player experience or sometimes required collaborating (on puzzles, raids, etc.).
I have a lot of great MUD memories. There's something about not having graphics that makes the imagination go wild. I could visualize all of the areas of the games (and still can!) whereas now, you get what the devs choose to show you. That's not bad, just different. It's like the difference between reading a novel and watching a TV adaptation of it.
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Comment on Looking for a Switch game thats fun but requires little commitment in ~games
clayh Link Parent“…sometimes you’ll die…” means most times your game will last < 5 minutes but you will feel previously unknown levels of elation when it lasts longer! I love Spelunky HD and Spelunky 2. Those are...“…sometimes you’ll die…” means most times your game will last < 5 minutes but you will feel previously unknown levels of elation when it lasts longer! I love Spelunky HD and Spelunky 2. Those are my all time favorites. However, they are extremely difficult. Accessible, but difficult.
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Comment on Get me out of data hell in ~comp
clayh LinkThis is all very familiar, but especially this: This is exactly what kills my morale at work. The IT leadership are the most political and simply don’t listen to the workers on their teams. They...This is all very familiar, but especially this:
Suffice it to say that while people are sincerely trying their best, our leaders are not even remotely equipped to handle the volume of people just outright lying to them about IT.
This is exactly what kills my morale at work. The IT leadership are the most political and simply don’t listen to the workers on their teams. They blindly make poor decisions and then lie to the C Suite about it. Maybe they aren’t lying - it might just be ignorance.
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Comment on Architecture blog recommendations? in ~design
clayh LinkNot a blog, per se, but there's a huge amount of content on the NC Modernist website if you poke around. Many pdfs of archived architecture magazines, lists of houses by various modernist...Not a blog, per se, but there's a huge amount of content on the NC Modernist website if you poke around. Many pdfs of archived architecture magazines, lists of houses by various modernist "masters" etc.
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Comment on Salem's Lot | Official trailer in ~movies
clayh LinkThe book is so good. The trailer does not look compelling to me at all. Part of the appeal of the book is the slowly unfolding mystery, in a sleepy but somewhat normal town, with spikes of horror....The book is so good. The trailer does not look compelling to me at all. Part of the appeal of the book is the slowly unfolding mystery, in a sleepy but somewhat normal town, with spikes of horror. The trailer looks like that formula is flipped: drawn out horror with spikes of mystery. Perhaps the trailer just wasn’t edited well.
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Comment on Moving to Raleigh, NC in ~life
clayh LinkIf you want to live in a lively and funky smaller town area, then Durham is better than Raleigh. There are parts of Raleigh that are nice and parts are comparable to NoVA. I've lived in both...If you want to live in a lively and funky smaller town area, then Durham is better than Raleigh. There are parts of Raleigh that are nice and parts are comparable to NoVA. I've lived in both places and grew up in Raleigh. Keep in mind that with NCSU, UNC, Duke, NCA&T, Meredith College, Peace University, Shaw, St. Aug's, and other local universities, there are neighborhoods around the Triangle area that are very transient. I used to really love it here. It's gotten very congested in the past 5 yrs, perhaps from people who relocated here during Covid? I'd take it over NoVA any day, though. If I could snap my fingers and live anywhere in the areas now, it probably would be Hillsborough. It retains the funky small town feel that has fallen off in a lot of the other towns/cities in the area. It may not be aligned with what you seek, though.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
clayh Link ParentIf you haven’t read Roadside Picnic, check it out, too! All of the Stalker and Metro books and games are spiritual sequels/successors to it. It’s an excellent book.If you haven’t read Roadside Picnic, check it out, too! All of the Stalker and Metro books and games are spiritual sequels/successors to it. It’s an excellent book.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
clayh Link ParentYou can learn algorithms in any programming language and once you get the hang of programming, it’s often just a small amount of work to learn a new language. The reason so many people start with...You can learn algorithms in any programming language and once you get the hang of programming, it’s often just a small amount of work to learn a new language. The reason so many people start with Python is because you largely can forget all the complexities associated with pointers, memory management, and compiling (which are hard to grasp as a beginner) and focus on writing programs that do things. Then you can quite easily pivot back to C++ or Rust or whatever and know exactly what it is you are trying to do and focus on how it is done in the other language, layering on the more complex topics. If you feel things are slow going (and learning to program in any language is hard), maybe try to get up to speed in a less complex language/environment? And remember, no matter the language, all you are doing is managing and manipulating data. It’s all about structures for storing, changing, and moving data.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
clayh Link ParentMetro 2033 is an excellent atmospheric horror book, missing most of the creature from the games, focusing on the remnants of humanity and how they can be paranoid and awful to each other. I was...Metro 2033 is an excellent atmospheric horror book, missing most of the creature from the games, focusing on the remnants of humanity and how they can be paranoid and awful to each other. I was very surprised how good the book is. I didn’t care at all for the game.
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Comment on Star Wars Outlaws is a crappy masterpiece in ~games
clayh LinkI’m having an absolute blast with Star Wars Outlaws. It’s the most fun I’ve had with this type of game in years. It may not be innovative in the gameplay department, but it is an excellently...I’m having an absolute blast with Star Wars Outlaws. It’s the most fun I’ve had with this type of game in years. It may not be innovative in the gameplay department, but it is an excellently executed love letter to the original Star Wars trilogy. I’ve run into about 20 minutes of frustration in my 15+ hours of gameplay.
The dissonance here, for me, is between the professional reviews and the response by gamers playing. Have a look at the StarWarsOutlaws subreddit if you want to see what I mean.
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Comment on Looking for some Switch recommendations in ~games
clayh LinkCheck out Immortals: Fenyx Rising. It’s like BOTW with humor in a world inspired by Greek Mythology. The Witcher 3 is on Switch as well. It’s an excellent game.Check out Immortals: Fenyx Rising. It’s like BOTW with humor in a world inspired by Greek Mythology. The Witcher 3 is on Switch as well. It’s an excellent game.
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Comment on Looking for adventure(-ish) games to play alongside my 8 years old in ~games
clayh Link ParentI think it's coming out of Early Access in September!I think it's coming out of Early Access in September!
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Comment on Looking for adventure(-ish) games to play alongside my 8 years old in ~games
clayh LinkThe recent Assassin’s Creed games have Discovery Tour modes that are nonviolent open world historical/museum tours. They’re pretty cool for learning about history! I’d also recommend Heaven’s...The recent Assassin’s Creed games have Discovery Tour modes that are nonviolent open world historical/museum tours. They’re pretty cool for learning about history!
I’d also recommend Heaven’s Vault: https://store.steampowered.com/app/774201/Heavens_Vault/
My daughter and I enjoyed playing Curse of the Golden Idol, Valheim, and Shadows of Doubt together, too! The Portal games also would be fun.
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Comment on Any advice for dealing with grief from a traumatic incident in ~life
clayh LinkI went through something traumatic this spring (witness to something gruesome). Please go see a therapist that specializes in acute shock and PTSD. The current thinking ( based on years on...I went through something traumatic this spring (witness to something gruesome). Please go see a therapist that specializes in acute shock and PTSD. The current thinking ( based on years on Afghan/Iraq war research) is that you can avoid chronic PTSD if you treat the acute shock symptoms in the first 6 weeks following the incident.
Get a professional to evaluate you. It is worth it. Do it as soon as you can.
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Comment on What game do you consider an unconventional masterpiece? in ~games
clayh LinkOxygen Not Included: this is one of the most complex and rewarding simulations out there. It’s a super fun trial and error sandbox that continues to deliver interesting challenges long after most...Oxygen Not Included: this is one of the most complex and rewarding simulations out there. It’s a super fun trial and error sandbox that continues to deliver interesting challenges long after most games have fully revealed their content. It’s almost like the Factorio of simulations, if that makes any sense.
Brogue Community Edition: This is a FOSS ASCII title that took the premise of the original Rogue and continues to develop it. The gameplay loop is tight, the ASCII graphics are extremely well done, and it’s a blast to share game seeds with friends to see who can get furthest in a given instance of the game. You can download the latest release from the Releases page here: https://github.com/tmewett/BrogueCE
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Comment on Does anyone have any advice for new dads? in ~life.men
clayh LinkMore specifically… get a Baby Bjorn or similar contraption for strapping your kid to your chest. Then get one of those big yoga/exercise bouncy balls. In the middle of the night, you can strap the...More specifically… get a Baby Bjorn or similar contraption for strapping your kid to your chest. Then get one of those big yoga/exercise bouncy balls. In the middle of the night, you can strap the kid to you and gently bounce up and down on the ball. This also leaves your hands free to read a book, use the TV remote, hold a gaming controller, etc. You’ll likely spend a lot of time bouncing in the night.
The earlier comment about sticking to a sleep schedule for your kid is key. It’s the single best thing we did for our kids and also created predictability for us.
This may seem random, but hear me out… Check out the Silicon Valley Curling Club. If you can, do it with a friend or coworker and enroll in a learning league or take a Learn to Curl class together. If you like it, sign up for a 1x/week league!
Curling is an extremely social sport at the club level and is also a very friendly and inclusive sport, including people of all ages. Most clubs have rules against smack talk, etc. Here’s a link to get you started. https://siliconvalleycurling.com/