cordyceptive's recent activity
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Comment on Halo 2's final players share their stories in ~games
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Comment on China executes 'godfather of crystal meth' Cai Dongjia whose village supplied one third of the country's methamphetamine in ~news
cordyceptive LinkI went looking for more information on the Party's line against drugs, but I can't find anything on Xinhua English about Cai Dongjia. From the timeline indicated (village raided in 2013), this...I went looking for more information on the Party's line against drugs, but I can't find anything on Xinhua English about Cai Dongjia. From the timeline indicated (village raided in 2013), this could be a key part of Xi's anti-corruption campaign as a means of stabilizing/purging the Party.
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History is written by the losers
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Xenophon: The ancient Greek rebel leader who saw Socrates solo-dancing
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Comment on Visual novel fans? in ~games
cordyceptive Link ParentThanks for the links! I'm noticing a magical theme :) Guns of Infinity has RPG elements while still having very detailed writing -- I hope you enjoy!Thanks for the links! I'm noticing a magical theme :) Guns of Infinity has RPG elements while still having very detailed writing -- I hope you enjoy!
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Comment on Visual novel fans? in ~games
cordyceptive Link ParentThanks for the link! My first impression is that it the premise sounds similar to Yahtzee's Chzo Mythos, which I loved. I'll be sure to play this when I have time!Thanks for the link! My first impression is that it the premise sounds similar to Yahtzee's Chzo Mythos, which I loved. I'll be sure to play this when I have time!
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Comment on Visual novel fans? in ~games
cordyceptive Link ParentAgreed to you and annadane! The first chapter has so many meaningful player choices, it's incredible. And every character has their own great set of chapters. I haven't found another visual novel...Agreed to you and annadane! The first chapter has so many meaningful player choices, it's incredible. And every character has their own great set of chapters. I haven't found another visual novel that does that either, but I can recommend Paul "Cataphrak" Wang's Guns of Infinity, an interactive novel, as a game with fantastic worldbuilding, characters, and an amazing amount of significant player choice.
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Visual novel fans?
Anyone else play visual novels? If you don't know what they are, it's like an interactive story with pictures and sometimes player choice. People called Bandersnatch a kind of visual novel! I got...
Anyone else play visual novels? If you don't know what they are, it's like an interactive story with pictures and sometimes player choice. People called Bandersnatch a kind of visual novel!
I got into them by playing Katawa Shoujo, which is astonishingly well-written and empathetic and funny. Recently I played Don't Forget Our Esports Dream, about two Starcraft pro gamers trying to chase their dreams while facing the realities of their lives. I love how it talks about the soul of esports, and if you ever played Starcraft, this game will bring back all the memories. What visual novels do other people recommend?
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Comment on How do I learn and understand what kinds of books I like? in ~books
cordyceptive LinkOutside of reading more, you can’t really shortcut the process of finding styles that click. Good news is, it’s a ton of fun! You can try reading widely and seeing what sticks with you. You can...Outside of reading more, you can’t really shortcut the process of finding styles that click. Good news is, it’s a ton of fun!
You can try reading widely and seeing what sticks with you. You can read book reviews and learn what excites your interest. You can read multiple books by the same author if you liked something they wrote. Finding one book leads quickly to others! I discovered my favorite novels through book reviews and by reading a book mentioned as inspiration in the author’s end notes for another, less-good book I read. It doesn’t hurt to start with the classics in whatever genre you’re looking for; they’re called classic because people liked them. Don’t sweat it if you don’t, though, life’s too short to read books you hate!
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Comment on New years resolutions? in ~talk
cordyceptive Link ParentAww, thank you for the support! It's making me smile :) Ted Chiang is one of the best sci-fi authors I've read, one of his stories was made into Arrival. Here's a link to another, The Merchant and...Aww, thank you for the support! It's making me smile :)
Ted Chiang is one of the best sci-fi authors I've read, one of his stories was made into Arrival. Here's a link to another, The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, which is about time travel, paradoxes, and regret.
Climbing is great! You'll always have (one of the four types of) fun climbing. If you're in the Northeast I can show you the ropes!
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Comment on New years resolutions? in ~talk
cordyceptive LinkBishop’s post is amazing, yo. Here’s my list: Read 26 books. Ideally non-fiction and broadly useful, but I’m really excited for Ted Chiang’s new collection this year! Build the habit of training...Bishop’s post is amazing, yo. Here’s my list:
- Read 26 books. Ideally non-fiction and broadly useful, but I’m really excited for Ted Chiang’s new collection this year!
- Build the habit of training for alpine climbing. I’m in passable shape, but big objectives I want to do call for big improvements.
- Build better social habits. Namely getting coffee with new friends and keeping in touch with old ones every month. I can do a lot better in this field! Recently I realized that I have social anxiety and it’s keeping me from being as social as I’d like.
- Write more programs so I can get better! Compared to my classmates, I don’t think I’m as skilled at implementing things.
- Finish and release my first visual novel. It’s, uh, in very early stages. I’ll need to find an artist for sure.
Up and at ‘em again, 2019!
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
cordyceptive LinkNice idea from Jamie. I wonder if they can build an autonomous bulldozer - cutting fireline is hellish work in rough country, but it's damn effective at containing a fire.Nice idea from Jamie. I wonder if they can build an autonomous bulldozer - cutting fireline is hellish work in rough country, but it's damn effective at containing a fire.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? #6 in ~books
cordyceptive LinkBeen reading The Idea Factory about Bell Labs and its role in fostering America's generation of innovations. I also got two books from Stripe Press, The Dream Machine and Stubborn Attachments. The...Been reading The Idea Factory about Bell Labs and its role in fostering America's generation of innovations. I also got two books from Stripe Press, The Dream Machine and Stubborn Attachments. The first one is about J.C.R. Licklider and his quest for an interactive computer as a DARPA program manager, and the second makes the moral case for economic growth. Hoping they're good!
Various books I've read this year are listed here, but it doesn't include my full reading list (yet).
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Comment on Where would you like to be at the moment? in ~talk
cordyceptive LinkTuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP. Probably really cold but at least it's not on fire. Got a couple unfinished climbs out there that I'll try to get on next summer.Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP. Probably really cold but at least it's not on fire. Got a couple unfinished climbs out there that I'll try to get on next summer.
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Comment on Any SCP fans on Tildes? in ~talk
cordyceptive LinkAntimemetics Division pieces are my fave. http://www.scp-wiki.net/antimemetics-division-hubAntimemetics Division pieces are my fave. http://www.scp-wiki.net/antimemetics-division-hub
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Comment on Intelligent, devoted, alien – parrots are unlike any other pet. But what does the complex human-avian bond say about us? in ~life.pets
cordyceptive LinkRelated on the human-parrot bond: The Great Silence, by Allora, Calzadilla, and Ted Chiang. One of my favorite short stories. http://supercommunity.e-flux.com/texts/the-great-silence/Related on the human-parrot bond: The Great Silence, by Allora, Calzadilla, and Ted Chiang. One of my favorite short stories.
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Comment on Why computer science students are demanding more ethics classes in ~tech
cordyceptive LinkCurrent undergrad at a school you’ve heard of running a reading group on sociology and ethics in computer science. The CS department doesn’t offer a tech ethics course, but someone I know worked...Current undergrad at a school you’ve heard of running a reading group on sociology and ethics in computer science. The CS department doesn’t offer a tech ethics course, but someone I know worked on building one for her thesis last year. We do offer a technology and society minor, where students are required to take a sociology class about the study of technology, but nothing’s required for CS majors.
Resources already posted are great! Any suggestions for topics/case studies/ideas we can use for weekly meetings?
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Comment on Hey tilda swintons - what would you do if you were awarded $130,000,000 in post-tax lottery money? in ~talk
cordyceptive LinkTake the lump sum. Same thing: secure a financial future for myself, family, and very close friends. Move to Washington, where the mountains are close and the land is so beautiful. Once I’m able...Take the lump sum. Same thing: secure a financial future for myself, family, and very close friends. Move to Washington, where the mountains are close and the land is so beautiful. Once I’m able to live off my money, I’d start funding independent researchers. Try to find super-intelligent people with high-impact low-probability ideas, and get them working on it until something succeeds. I’d hire a personal assistant to run that, a financial manager so I don’t need to stress about my money, and go climbing most of the year.
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Comment on Writing prompt: someone comes back from war drastically improved as a person in ~creative
cordyceptive Link ParentTwo real-life examples I can think of. Steve House, American alpinist, took an 80-foot ledge fall on Mount Temple and was evacuated with serious injuries. From an interview with Rock and Ice:...Two real-life examples I can think of.
Steve House, American alpinist, took an 80-foot ledge fall on Mount Temple and was evacuated with serious injuries.
From an interview with Rock and Ice:After my accident on Mount Temple in March 2010 I came to terms with the fact that I had not always been a nice person over the years prior. Spend a few hours believing you’ll be dead before sunset and it does something to you.
From his book Beyond the Mountain:
Thoughts swirled in my head during the two-hour wait for the rescue helicopter. Final farewells were spoken, just in case.
I spent eight days in the critical care ward of the sprawling and busy Calgary hospital. A quick but excruciating flight in a medically equipped Learjet, and I upgraded to another, quieter, hospital bed in Bend, Oregon. Eventually, I traded the hospital room for a walker and my own room in the countryside. Cruelly, from my bed, I could see the rocks I once climbed. The pain in my body was strict and unrelenting. I couldn't imagine climbing again. I put on a cheery face for guests, but when alone, I considered my options: return to school, find a job... I was 39 years old, trained as a mountain guide, and every material thing, every meaningful relationship, was tied to climbing. I owed so much. I resolved to settle that balance when I healed.
As I reflect today, two years after this accident, I find that climbing - and the unrelenting drive to push myself, to feel more, to accomplish more, to try harder - is no longer the sole engine of my life.Brendan O'Byrne, from Sebastian Junger's book War.
O'Byrne grew up in rural Pennsylvania on a property that had a stream running through it and hundreds of acres of woods out back where he and his friends could play war. Once they dug a bunker, another time they rigged a zip line up between trees. Most of those friends wound up joining the Army. When O'Byrne turned fourteen he and his father started fighting a lot, and O'Byrne immediately got into trouble at school. His grades plummeted and he began drinking and smoking pot and getting arrested. His father was a plumber who always kept the family well provided for, but there was tremendous turmoil at home -- a lot of drinking, a lot of physical combat -- and one night things got out of hand and O'Byrne's father shot him twice with a .22 rifle. From his hospital bed, O'Byrne told the police that his father had shot him in self-defense; that way he went to reform school for assault rather than his father going to prison for attempted murder. O'Byrne was sixteen.
A shop teacher named George started counseling him, and O'Byrne spend hours at George's wood shop carving things out of wood and talking. George got him turned around. O'Byrne started playing soccer. He got interested in Buddhism. He started getting good grades. After eight months he moved in with his grandparents and went back to high school. "I changed my whole entire life," O'Byrne told me. "I apologized to all the teachers I ever dissed. I apologized to kids I used to beat up. I apologized to everyone and I made a fucking vow that I was never going to be like that again. People didn't recognize me when I got home."
One afternoon, O'Byrne saw a National Guard recruiter at his high school and signed up...O'Byrne would up becoming a paratrooper deployed to the most dangerous valley in Afghanistan. The book is really a fantastic read; I'd recommend it, especially if you want to see how war changed him.
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Comment on Reading Series: The Phoenix Project in ~comp
cordyceptive LinkThis looks a lot like Who Moved My Cheese? Anyways, I'd probably read it, but not if I had to pay money to do so.This looks a lot like Who Moved My Cheese? Anyways, I'd probably read it, but not if I had to pay money to do so.
Saw this on Twitter the other day: “If you want to build long-lived software, write a game. Everything else might die, but players will rebuild architectures to play their favorite games again.”