culturedleftfoot's recent activity
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Comment on What does a newcomer moving to your town/city/state/country need to know? in ~life
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Comment on What does a newcomer moving to your town/city/state/country need to know? in ~life
culturedleftfoot Link ParentI'd never previously heard the term "social elevator" outside of usage as a metaphor for class mobility. Today I learned about segregation in elevator use in Brazil.I'd never previously heard the term "social elevator" outside of usage as a metaphor for class mobility. Today I learned about segregation in elevator use in Brazil.
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Comment on What does a newcomer moving to your town/city/state/country need to know? in ~life
culturedleftfoot (edited )LinkNot exactly my city, but I can vouch for it: Washington DC. Capitol Hill is NOT the end-all be-all of DC. That is its own weird bubble that excludes pretty much everyone else... especially the...Not exactly my city, but I can vouch for it: Washington DC.
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Capitol Hill is NOT the end-all be-all of DC. That is its own weird bubble that excludes pretty much everyone else... especially the people born and raised there. Also, the city's bigger than just northwest.
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Maybe like 2/3 of people are transplants from elsewhere, either for work or school, and that's a conservative estimate. Most of the locals are being pushed out into the surrounding areas, and they are adamant that it's not the same thing as being from the city. To that point, there is no "DMV" to the locals. There's DC, MD, and VA.
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A significant portion of people (50?%) have a level of self-importance and entitlement that can be quite annoying to navigate on a day-to-day basis. In social situations, you can often sense them categorizing people according to how they can benefit from them. However, you can get by sticking with the rest who don't act like that.
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Quite a few of the above-mentioned transplants are making good money. Some come from good money and are subsidized by their parents, even after leaving school. LOTS of people are living in quiet desperation with mountains of debt in order to keep up appearances. Don't get caught up in comparisons.
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I don't know if it was just me, but it felt like practically everyone is into some kind of hardcore BDSM and kinks. I suppose the national seat of power would almost have to be an undercover hotbed of sexual perversion.
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There are lots of free things to do, which is great! However, the social scene really revolves around happy hour, there's no escaping it.
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THERE ARE RATS. Not as bad as New York, but THERE ARE RATS. EVERYWHERE.
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This is an issue I have with the country in general, but there are too many homeless people for the kind of money that's in the economy. You see someone sleeping on the grate on the sidewalk for warmth in winter and your heart just breaks.
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Public transportation is indeed quite good. However, if you are ever in a hurry to get somewhere, there will probably be a delay on the Red line. If you're hustling to get to work, it's guaranteed.
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Also, do yourself a favor - don't take the 70 bus. Just don't.
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It's quite bike-friendly in most areas. There are plenty bike lanes and lots of short-term bike rentals stands everywhere. However, I do not trust drivers there AT ALL. Drive around for a couple weeks and you'll understand why. Ride at your own risk.
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You can pretty much expect everything to shut down if there's 2 inches of snow on the ground. No one has snow tires either.
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The left side of the escalator is for walking, the right side is for standing.
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Expect to hear some people stubbornly referring to the Redskins instead of the Commanders.
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Comment on What does a newcomer moving to your town/city/state/country need to know? in ~life
culturedleftfoot Link ParentI'd never heard of or seen the "you're sorry" side of Canadians before, and I have to say I'm not mad at seeing everyone kinda collectively stand up for their country.I'd never heard of or seen the "you're sorry" side of Canadians before, and I have to say I'm not mad at seeing everyone kinda collectively stand up for their country.
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What does a newcomer moving to your town/city/state/country need to know?
The stuff they don't put on the tourist brochure.
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
culturedleftfoot Link ParentMy first and so far only PC build from 2011 is still my daily driver... although it's quite Ship of Theseus at this point. Practically everything else has changed, but the motherboard and CPU are...My first and so far only PC build from 2011 is still my daily driver... although it's quite Ship of Theseus at this point. Practically everything else has changed, but the motherboard and CPU are still the same, so I'm claiming it. I don't see why I can't get another 3 or 4 years without issue.
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Comment on Steam Spring Sale suggestions in ~games
culturedleftfoot Link ParentSeriously, between stuff like Humble Bundles, Steam sales, GOG, etc. it's INSANE the number of high-quality games you can get for cheap nowadays, not to mention emulators and playing stuff for...Seriously, between stuff like Humble Bundles, Steam sales, GOG, etc. it's INSANE the number of high-quality games you can get for cheap nowadays, not to mention emulators and playing stuff for free. There's a lot of dreck too, so you do need to know how to filter, but still.
"Entertaining ourselves to death" is steadily becoming more feasible.
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Comment on Steam Spring Sale suggestions in ~games
culturedleftfoot Link ParentThis is useful! I imagine you probably have to get to something like 50000+ Steam reviews to really qualify as hugely popular though.This is useful!
I imagine you probably have to get to something like 50000+ Steam reviews to really qualify as hugely popular though.
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Comment on Steam Spring Sale suggestions in ~games
culturedleftfoot LinkI just bought Dirt Rally 2.0 with all its DLC for 8 bucks. A bunch of games that I follow are currently on sale. Here are a couple lists, where bolded titles are personal recommends. Almost...- Exemplary
I just bought Dirt Rally 2.0 with all its DLC for 8 bucks.
A bunch of games that I follow are currently on sale. Here are a couple lists, where bolded titles are personal recommends. Almost everything is at least 50% off.
Games under $5
80 Days - $3.89
A Memoir Blue - $3.99
BELOW - $4.99
Braid, Anniversary Edition - $4.99
Cursed To Golf - $2.99
Dust: An Elysian Tail - $3.74
El Hijo - A Wild West Tale - $3.99
Enter The Gungeon - $1.49!! I've got like 600 hours on this.
Firework - $4.99
Gorogoa - $4.94
GRIS - $2.99
The Gunk - $4.99
Helldivers (1) - $3.99
Indivisible - $2.99
INMOST - $4.49
INSIDE - $1.99!
Journey - $4.94
Juicy Realm - $4.99
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes - $4.49
La-Mulana - $3.74
LIMBO - $0.99!
Linelight - $1.99
Long Dream - $3.84
LUMINES REMASTERED - $4.49
Midnight Ghost Hunt - $4.99
Moon Hunters - $1.49
Neo Cab - $2.24
Neon Abyss - $4.99
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) - $2.99
Night Call - $4.49
Octahedron: Transfixed Edition - $1.29!!!! This is an absolute hidden gem!
Once Again - $1.19
One Finger Death Punch - $1.24
Orbital Bullet - $1.69
Pipe Push Paradise - $4.99
Planet Cube: Edge - $4.94
The Red Strings Club - $2.99
Road 96 - $4.99
Room 301 NO.6 - $2.39
Souldiers - $3.99
Stealth Bastard Deluxe - $1.29
Super Magbot - $1.29
Tales of the Neon Sea - $2.88
Tokyo 42 - $1.99
WuJiDaoRen - $3.49Games under $10
Antichamber
The Artful Escape
Bonfire Peaks
CrossCode
Cyberwar: Neon City
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
ElecHead
The Heroes Around Me
Invisible, Inc.
LOCKDOWN Protocol
Loretta
Mondealy
Overgrowth
Pid
Planet of Lana
Raji: An Ancient Epic
The Rewinder
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Shadows of Doubt
Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
Soda Crisis
Superliminal
Twelve Minutes
Undying
Wavetale
The Witness
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the MountainsGames over $10
Kenshi
Minds Beneath Us
Nine Sols - Currently at the final boss! This game can be really tough, but it's really good. Well worth it at full price.
Pinball Spire
Tetris® Effect: Connected
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Comment on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance – the hidden message in ~music
culturedleftfoot LinkYeah, as @datavoid said, this is pretty surface-level and fairly reachy. Half of his points are more about topics Kendrick addresses all the time rather than specifics of that performance. Here's... -
Comment on What are your favourite time-loop based books, movies and video games? in ~talk
culturedleftfoot Link ParentMan, it sounds like you weren't able to experience all that the game had to offer (there's sooooooooooooooooo much more to this game than just the thing)... that's a shame. I wish I knew the right...Man, it sounds like you weren't able to experience all that the game had to offer (there's sooooooooooooooooo much more to this game than just the thing)... that's a shame. I wish I knew the right thing to tell you that would help you shift your perspective!
I will say, the pace of the platforms, elevators, and everything else is deliberate and does match with Blow's statement of respecting the player's time. The best analogy I can give is that it's intended to serve a similar purpose to negative space in photography/cinematography. It's easy to think, "that space is empty, it's a waste to include it," but the emptiness is what frames and focuses your attention. It's needed context, and the shot isn't effective without it.
I understand if you're skeptical given your experience with the game, but... maybe we just need to slow down sometimes? Otherwise we miss the forest for the trees.
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Comment on What are your favourite time-loop based books, movies and video games? in ~talk
culturedleftfoot Link ParentI don't want to argue the point, but I will just say it in case you are at all open to recontextualizing your experience: The Witness is just as respectful of your time as Braid, if not more. It...Braid - Another time manipulation puzzler, but probably one of the best (and more respectful of player time than The Witness.....)
I don't want to argue the point, but I will just say it in case you are at all open to recontextualizing your experience: The Witness is just as respectful of your time as Braid, if not more. It simply depends on the mindset you bring to the game.
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Comment on Recommend me a racing/driving game on PC in ~games
culturedleftfoot Link ParentI forgot to include R4 in my list! Had tons of fun with that.I forgot to include R4 in my list! Had tons of fun with that.
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Comment on What’s a book about your area that you think would be interesting to people outside of it? in ~books
culturedleftfoot LinkI have three recommendations, all in the same vein: Soccernomics and Soccer Against The Enemy, both by Simon Kuper, as well as How Soccer Explains The World by Franklin Foer. All three are books...I have three recommendations, all in the same vein: Soccernomics and Soccer Against The Enemy, both by Simon Kuper, as well as How Soccer Explains The World by Franklin Foer. All three are books that examine globalization, tribalism, and national psyches, all through the prism of soccer. While there are references made in each that the knowledgeable fan will appreciate, experience with the game is not strictly necessary. The target audience is simply anyone curious about the world.
Well, why soccer, then? IMO, for a number of relevant reasons.
- It's the most popular sport in the world. The barrier to entry is very low; the only equipment you need is a ball.
- Even at the highest levels, it accommodates the widest variety of players in terms of physical attributes - tall, short, stout, thin, fast, slow, etc.
- During the game, a player with the ball has a lot of options - they can pass the ball forward, sideways, or backwards; they can go long or they can play it short; they can keep the ball themselves and dribble; they can shoot to goal. They can use any part of their body except their hands. As a result, the decision that you make tells me who you are, what you value.
- For all those reasons above, soccer is the most representative sport in the world. It continually shapes and is shaped by history, culture, politics, economics, and can be argued as one of the most representative human activities, period.
Disclaimer - all three books were published between early 1990s and the late noughties, during the rise of the globalization we take for granted today. I believe they've all been updated in newer editions, but my copies all come from before the ubiquity of social media, so some of the points made may not seem as prescient today. Still, they can offer illuminating insights to anyone new to the sport, as well as longtime fans.
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Recommend me a racing/driving game on PC
My parameters are Any kind of racing - F1, Moto GP, X games, rallycross, antigravity... you name it. No subscriptions I lean away from sim/management games... I don't mind some customization, but...
My parameters are
- Any kind of racing - F1, Moto GP, X games, rallycross, antigravity... you name it.
- No subscriptions
- I lean away from sim/management games... I don't mind some customization, but I don't want to have to choose from 10 different types of brake pads for best performance on each track.
- Combat optional
- If it makes a difference, I'll be playing with a controller, not a racing wheel.
[Edit: I should have specified - a modern racing game. I'm pretty versed on the options pre-2010, it's the new stuff I'm looking for.]
I originally wanted a rally game to scratch a hillclimb itch but I'm open to whatever now. Trawling through Steam has made my head spin though.
Previous racing games/series I've played and liked - Rallisport Challenge (really, if I could just play this again I'd be set), Wipeout 3, Road Rash, Ridge Racer Type 4, Twisted Metal 2, Jet Moto, Wave Race, Mario Kart, Sled Storm... OutRun! Showing my age here.
Somehow I've never really liked Need For Speed.
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ENORMANDALA: One year of drawing in twenty-three minutes (180x speed)
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Comment on What are your favourite let's plays? in ~games
culturedleftfoot LinkI don't think of it as a let's play per se, but Northernlion and Sinvicta Play - GeoGuessr! is great to run in the background or on a second monitor. They're both good at the game, they have an...I don't think of it as a let's play per se, but Northernlion and Sinvicta Play - GeoGuessr! is great to run in the background or on a second monitor. They're both good at the game, they have an easy chemistry with each other, there are four or five seasons with almost 300 episodes, and you can pretty much play any episode at random since there's no real progression to keep track of from game to game. It's good, entertaining banter with some passive learning about the world thrown in.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
culturedleftfoot Link ParentSecond set of winners picked: @Eidolon, @RheingoldRiver, and @fefellama!Second set of winners picked: @Eidolon, @RheingoldRiver, and @fefellama!
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Comment on Spotify shuts down ‘Unwrapped’ artist royalty calculator with legal threats – site still includes the formula behind the calculator for artists and music lovers who are curious in ~music
culturedleftfoot LinkYasiin Bey, f.k.a. Mos Def, has been a vocal critic of Spotify for years. Here's a great clip of him addressing fans of Black Star (of which he and interviewer Talib Kweli are members) who...Yasiin Bey, f.k.a. Mos Def, has been a vocal critic of Spotify for years. Here's a great clip of him addressing fans of Black Star (of which he and interviewer Talib Kweli are members) who persistently asked why they decided to place their highly anticipated, then-upcoming sophomore album exclusively on Luminary and not make it available on Spotify. It really serves to reframe the paradigm around contemporary music consumption.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2024 in ~games
culturedleftfoot Link ParentI got so much more out of CrossCode than I bargained for. I'd vaguely kept tabs on it a little before release, thinking that it seemed like a neat little idea for a game, with the virtual MMORPG...I got so much more out of CrossCode than I bargained for. I'd vaguely kept tabs on it a little before release, thinking that it seemed like a neat little idea for a game, with the virtual MMORPG premise and the throwing-ball combat. After having bought it, I left off after close to 250 hours, including the DLC chapter, and completed pretty much everything except some of the optional post-game challenges.
It's a nice blend of action/puzzle/RPG elements. Gameplay-wise, I enjoyed the puzzle dungeons more than anything else, but the combat is definitely worth a mention. You can mostly get by with button-mashing, but the skill ceiling is deceptively, ridiculously high, to the extent that I had to recontextualize the whole thing in my mind when I saw some of the late-game/post-game stuff. The biggest hook for me was the story though. Without spoiling anything, I got some pretty unexpected surprises, and the writing team absolutely nails it. Some of the best character writing I've seen in any video game.
You can absolutely tell that it was a labor of love for the team behind it. There are tons of settings you can tweak for accessibility and difficulty, so you can make it as challenging as you want or breeze through and enjoy the story. Also, there are so many accessories/armors/weapons that you can run various builds for the main character according to your play style, which is nice.
I don't really have any advice for you, apart from just go ahead and have as much fun as you can. You're in for a treat!
A hilarious recent comment on that vid: