CptBluebear's recent activity

  1. Comment on Ukraine uses Pelican ballistic missile for first time in strikes on Russia in ~society

    CptBluebear
    Link
    I missed these posts! I didn't see you post these for a bit.

    I missed these posts! I didn't see you post these for a bit.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on World of Warcraft: Forever | Cinematic trailer in ~games

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Tokens only made an existing problem worse, which is botting and gold selling. Other than the occasional rather ineffectual ban wave Blizzard has done very little to stymie the gold selling. If...

    Tokens only made an existing problem worse, which is botting and gold selling. Other than the occasional rather ineffectual ban wave Blizzard has done very little to stymie the gold selling.
    If Blizzard doesn't change their approach to Forever it'll go the same route.

  3. Comment on Donald Trump says the US has reached a "new" security deal with Denmark and Greenland in ~society

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Maintaining the status quo is irrelevant here. Giving him a political win instead of pushing back against hostile rhetoric is nothing short of appeasement.

    Maintaining the status quo is irrelevant here. Giving him a political win instead of pushing back against hostile rhetoric is nothing short of appeasement.

    5 votes

  4. Comment on Can two friends complete a game no one has ever finished? (gifted link) in ~games.tabletop

    CptBluebear
    Link
    You know how in some boardgames you know an hour before the end that you're going to lose and there's nothing you can do about it? What about seeing it coming for not just an hour, but maybe five...

    You know how in some boardgames you know an hour before the end that you're going to lose and there's nothing you can do about it? What about seeing it coming for not just an hour, but maybe five years. Or ten! And still having to play until the end just to complete it.

    5 votes

  5. Comment on Donald Trump says the US has reached a "new" security deal with Denmark and Greenland in ~society

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Appeasement does not feel like a win. It feels like conceding to being strong armed.

    Appeasement does not feel like a win. It feels like conceding to being strong armed.

    13 votes

  6. Comment on Donald Trump says the US has reached a "new" security deal with Denmark and Greenland in ~society

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Which is a political win for Trump. He's seen to do something for his constituents. Announcing the status quo is good for Denmark however, as a US political win takes some pressure off the...

    Which is a political win for Trump. He's seen to do something for his constituents.

    Announcing the status quo is good for Denmark however, as a US political win takes some pressure off the invasion rhetoric.

    11 votes

  7. Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport

    CptBluebear
    Link
    I'm not certain about the availability of the car in the US, but the Volkswagen ID Polo is a neat little electric hatchback. Not too expensive either.

    I'm not certain about the availability of the car in the US, but the Volkswagen ID Polo is a neat little electric hatchback. Not too expensive either.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on EU's Ursula von der Leyen wants Canada to become bloc's first associate member in ~society

    CptBluebear
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    You may be right. New Zealand and Australia now also indicate interest. Edit: Apologies, I should be more accurate. To be more precise European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hinted at...

    You may be right. New Zealand and Australia now also indicate interest.

    Edit: Apologies, I should be more accurate. To be more precise European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hinted at interest from NZ and AUS.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on EU's Ursula von der Leyen wants Canada to become bloc's first associate member in ~society

  10. Comment on Do you iron your clothes? in ~life

    CptBluebear
    Link
    No. I never could understood why I'd care about it. If it's really bad I hang it in the bathroom while I take a shower so I can essentially steam it.

    No. I never could understood why I'd care about it. If it's really bad I hang it in the bathroom while I take a shower so I can essentially steam it.

    9 votes

  11. Comment on Who gets the Steam Frame? Did Valve pick you for the first wave? in ~games

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Yeah and to this point: I very nearly decided against it. I'm somewhat of an enthusiast myself and the price/performance ratio is just ever so slightly off with the Machine. Now what convinced me...

    And to buy it just for fun, the price really is steep.

    Yeah and to this point: I very nearly decided against it. I'm somewhat of an enthusiast myself and the price/performance ratio is just ever so slightly off with the Machine.
    Now what convinced me after all is that price/quality wise there's a decent value proposition in there. I can expect reasonable support, don't have to fidget with interoperability with different hardware types (like, is this RAM kit supported in combination with this CPU), and while you can create a small form factor device with similar or more powerful hardware yourself, it will never look like it's a device that was designed from the ground up. Even just the LED strip on the front being integrated with SteamOS out of the box just feels like you bought a device that was created with thoughtful design. Nothing about it feels cheap or rushed. In that sense, it's very similar to a plug 'n play console. Except under the hood it's more than that.

    I'm lucky my wife and I have a solid financial status at the moment with our shared family bank account. We also both have our own separate bank accounts and after we deposit a set amount into the family account the rest ends up being just play money we can spend as we wish on our own stuff. I happened to have enough for a Steam Machine so I went for it without feeling like it would endanger our collective finances. That's not the case for everyone and if someone is at all worried about their financial status I'd probably advise against buying the Steam Machine, because yeah.. the price really is steep.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Spotify now lets parents block kids' music from polluting their recommendations in ~music

    CptBluebear
    Link
    Neat. I have a family account and used a spare one I could switch to specifically to prevent my own algorithm to be decimated by kids music. I'm probably still going to do that but at least...

    Neat. I have a family account and used a spare one I could switch to specifically to prevent my own algorithm to be decimated by kids music.

    I'm probably still going to do that but at least there's an option now if I ever decide to downsize.

    9 votes

  13. Comment on Who gets the Steam Frame? Did Valve pick you for the first wave? in ~games

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    A couple of reasons really. Admittedly, none as strong as "I just want one". I've always had consoles but felt that it wasn't a value add in recent times. For the first time ever, I sold my...

    A couple of reasons really. Admittedly, none as strong as "I just want one".

    I've always had consoles but felt that it wasn't a value add in recent times. For the first time ever, I sold my console (a PS5) which in previous generations I've never done. In fact I still own all of my older consoles. The Gabecube fills that gap where I can plop it down in my living room without being annoyingly ugly, annoyingly large, or annoyingly loud, while still allowing me to just pick up a controller and go play stuff. With the unlocked OS I can play whatever the hell I want instead of being locked into the Sony store as the Steam Machine is a pretty neat little emulator device.
    Additionally, with Moonlight/Sunshine/Apollo/ForkXYZ available it's just so easy to play games from my large Steam library on my television. This also partially alleviates the "end of life" concerns as the hardware designed to run the games on 4k High/Ultra is my beefy PC. It also means I was never really bothered by the somewhat middle of the road hardware as any upgrade to my main PC is an indirect upgrade to the Steam Machine. Yeah it's technically worse than a PS5, but somehow through the magic of Moonlight/Sunshine my games actually perform better than they would on a PS5.
    Also also, devices actually going end of life is really difficult nowadays as you can always turn it into a media hub, a streaming device, or something similar. If you're truly out of options, a web browsing, document editor is enough of a home PC my daughter could potentially use in a couple of years. Added benefit is having a shared PC in the living room that anyone can access with a wireless KBM set.

    There's also SteamOS and its adoption. It has been largely beneficial for the consumer writ large. Starting with the Steam Deck (that I also own) I think fostering this growing ecosystem is a worthwhile investment. I'm very happy with my decision to buy the Deck as it felt like a truly groundbreaking paradigm shift that I wanted to encourage. You mentioned it too: Steam's hardware is yours. The consumer has a much better control and ownership over their device and this is a political, ethical, and moral consideration that I find compelling.
    We've gone from people sticking with Windows because games, to having an OS that genuinely threatens Windows hegemony on home PCs.

    Lastly, I just think it's cool. I like the way it looks, I like the presentation of it, and I like how easy it is to work on it.
    Even if the price is steep, I don't particularly fault Valve for this nor do I think it'll ever be cheaper. This is the new AI reality. I was lucky I landed a new, better paying job so I sort of got it as a gift to myself as I'm not stressed about my personal finances right now.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on Australian athlete apologizes after winning race despite involuntary bowel movement in ~sports

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Despite winning, she will always be number two. It's a joke so good I wish it didn't come at someone's expense.

    Despite winning, she will always be number two.

    It's a joke so good I wish it didn't come at someone's expense.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on Who gets the Steam Frame? Did Valve pick you for the first wave? in ~games

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    I got put on the wait-list for the Frame but since I just got the Machine I'm more than ok with that. Two large in just as many months is a bit much. The Machine is a bit divisive so it really...

    I got put on the wait-list for the Frame but since I just got the Machine I'm more than ok with that. Two large in just as many months is a bit much.

    The Machine is a bit divisive so it really matters what you want to get out of it. For starters, it's very quiet and very small making it an ideal PC to just plop down anywhere. Although it doesn't feel like that's the intended use case, it's easy to transport or move.

    What do you want your daughter to do with a PC of her own? I could be more specific if I knew how it'll be used.

    3 votes

  16. Comment on EU's Ursula von der Leyen wants Canada to become bloc's first associate member in ~society

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Oh dip! Jumbo has their own too. I think we're good then. It must be the flowers we send to the Canadians every year..

    Oh dip! Jumbo has their own too. I think we're good then. It must be the flowers we send to the Canadians every year..

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Ed Sheeran’s tour in trouble after opening acts drop out in solidarity with rapper Macklemore in ~music

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Twas but a few years ago I met an American in Myanmar who spoke about Yugoslavia in the present tense. I couldn't fault her, even well travelled Americans can suffer from a mediocre education....

    Twas but a few years ago I met an American in Myanmar who spoke about Yugoslavia in the present tense.

    I couldn't fault her, even well travelled Americans can suffer from a mediocre education. Hearing stories like yours just reinforces that unfortunate fact.

    That's not to say I've been insulated from the occasional goof or debunked history story during my school years. Teachers are human too. Who hasn't heard the "factoid" we eat spiders during our sleep? Columbus was also waaaayyy too revered in our books, and yes we knew the Earth was round well before Galileo.

    Unless there's a Russian psyop bot at play, someone saying "the" Ukraine is likely just a missed memo and that's ok.

    ...

    Though a curriculum that doesn't update the fall of the Soviet Union should perhaps look at themselves twice.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on EU's Ursula von der Leyen wants Canada to become bloc's first associate member in ~society

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Hahaha I don't think anyone would think otherwise. Help help, I'm being oppressed by the lack of maple syrup.

    I meant the Trump part was abusive

    Hahaha I don't think anyone would think otherwise. Help help, I'm being oppressed by the lack of maple syrup.

    14 votes

  19. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    Yeah but Sayonara Lara is so much better than Goodbye Lara. Kidding aside, it's honestly a toss up and I don't think it matters much. I'd write Hyakkano before 100 Girlfriends, but would probably...

    Yeah but Sayonara Lara is so much better than Goodbye Lara. Kidding aside, it's honestly a toss up and I don't think it matters much. I'd write Hyakkano before 100 Girlfriends, but would probably say Daemons of the Shadowrealm over Yomi no Tsugai.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on Ed Sheeran’s tour in trouble after opening acts drop out in solidarity with rapper Macklemore in ~music

    CptBluebear
    Link Parent
    It's a persistent and common mistake through no fault of your own. It was indeed called "the Ukraine" in the English speaking world until their independence in 91 after which it became politically...

    It's a persistent and common mistake through no fault of your own. It was indeed called "the Ukraine" in the English speaking world until their independence in 91 after which it became politically sensitive as it implied Russian ownership as Ukraina or Krajina means borderland in Russian.

    For plenty of people born in the 20th century "the" Ukraine was simply how it was called, so that is what they were taught.

    11 votes