deimosthenes's recent activity
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Comment on Passing the torch - Discord is getting a new CEO in ~tech
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Comment on Waymo to operate on car-free Market Street in San Francisco in ~transport
deimosthenes Link ParentIt could also be an issue of the more difficult differentiation between a private car and a rideshare car since it's a more fluid concept.It could also be an issue of the more difficult differentiation between a private car and a rideshare car since it's a more fluid concept.
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Comment on A daily tea routine partially protects people from heavy metals, study finds in ~food
deimosthenes Link ParentIf you end up really into teas that want a lower temperature, a variable temperature kettle (or equivalent) is a really convenient thing. That said if you're just trying stuff out or don't want an...If you end up really into teas that want a lower temperature, a variable temperature kettle (or equivalent) is a really convenient thing.
That said if you're just trying stuff out or don't want an extra appliance, plenty of people will boil water then just add a splash of cold water to bring it down to about the right range. Especially if you can test it out with a thermometer a couple of times to get the hang of how much to add.
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Comment on 'Consider Phlebas' series set at Amazon from Charles Yu and Chloé Zhao in ~tv
deimosthenes Link ParentI don't know that I'd consider Consider Phlebas a particularly optimistic story in isolation, unlike many of the other Culture novels. Although it's been a long while since I've read it so I may...I don't know that I'd consider Consider Phlebas a particularly optimistic story in isolation, unlike many of the other Culture novels. Although it's been a long while since I've read it so I may be off base on the vibe.
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Comment on Moving to the other side of the Earth in ~life
deimosthenes Link ParentAir conditioning is pretty common in Australia given the climate. That said there's no guarantee, some cheaper or older places may not have it. House construction standards can vary a fair bit. I...Air conditioning is pretty common in Australia given the climate. That said there's no guarantee, some cheaper or older places may not have it.
House construction standards can vary a fair bit. I will say compared to areas like northern Europe we are abysmal at constructing for cold weather conditions. I've met a bunch of people who have emigrated from much colder climates who complain that our relatively mild winters are much more miserable because our houses aren't built to retain heat as effectively.
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Comment on Covid was supposed to kill cinema – but did lockdown and gen Z save cinephilia? in ~movies
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah I'm in the mentioned camp of people who were reintroduced to cinema as a result of COVID watch parties and sites like letterboxd. As someone who rarely put aside the uninterrupted blocks of...Yeah I'm in the mentioned camp of people who were reintroduced to cinema as a result of COVID watch parties and sites like letterboxd.
As someone who rarely put aside the uninterrupted blocks of time to watch a movie, it's been really fun to get exposed to a bunch of classic or cult cinema that wasn't remotely on my radar, at the hands of a few far more invested friends.
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Comment on Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s with world-first law in ~tech
deimosthenes Link ParentIt sounds like it also prohibits the companies from requiring government-issued ID at sign-up so hopefully that bullet is dodged. This is all fairly poorly thought out, my best guess is we end up...It sounds like it also prohibits the companies from requiring government-issued ID at sign-up so hopefully that bullet is dodged.
This is all fairly poorly thought out, my best guess is we end up with something fairly toothless but the government campaigns on having tried to do something to protect the kids.
The only alternatives I can think of are bailing out of the country entirely or some sort of ripe for abuse detection of age based on an uploaded photo.
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Comment on Mozilla begs courts to allow Google search deal for Firefox to continue in ~tech
deimosthenes Link ParentThis is all off the top of my head so definitely take any details with a grain of salt, but Google has been funding the majority of Mozilla's budget (via the aforementioned default search provider...This is all off the top of my head so definitely take any details with a grain of salt, but Google has been funding the majority of Mozilla's budget (via the aforementioned default search provider deal) for many years.
Alongside the obvious immediate benefit of keeping people using google search, the existence of Firefox has acted as a defense for Google against Chrome (and other related browsers built on Chrome) having a monopoly on browsers.It's been a precarious position, I'm not looking forward to the likely scenarios of Mozilla scrambling for a new revenue stream and enshittifying Firefox in the process or dying a slow death. The latter taking us back closer to the bad old days of one browser engine being so overwhelmingly dominant it gets to use it's implementation as the defacto spec of how the web works.
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Comment on Battling infectious diseases in the 20th century: The impact of vaccines in ~health
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah the X axis on some of the charts was a bit suspicious too. I imagine it's just that they're at the mercy of what data is available and it's not like "vaccines help decrease infections" is a...Yeah the X axis on some of the charts was a bit suspicious too. I imagine it's just that they're at the mercy of what data is available and it's not like "vaccines help decrease infections" is a hard notion to sell. But I do wonder if there was a bit of cherry picking for charts that looked good rather than any sort of deeper analysis, in a few cases.
Something mildly irksome when you see a nice looking chart that seems to tell one story followed by a footnote that says the vaccine had been introduced many decades before the data started. What other factors painted the picture you're showing? Was it a push to make the vaccines more available? More effective vaccines? Better health outcomes overall? -
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
deimosthenes Link ParentThere are worse problems than to be thoroughly enjoying all of your choices in media, I suppose! I've got find memories of how ridiculous the read or die OVA got, probably haven't seen it in like...There are worse problems than to be thoroughly enjoying all of your choices in media, I suppose!
I've got find memories of how ridiculous the read or die OVA got, probably haven't seen it in like 15 years so might be time for a rewatch.
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Comment on Steam Deck shipping to Australia this November in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentThis is an especially bad delay, but on the other hand to my knowledge I don't think the Index ever released locally. We're just not an especially big market, so I think it's an easy one to ignore...This is an especially bad delay, but on the other hand to my knowledge I don't think the Index ever released locally.
We're just not an especially big market, so I think it's an easy one to ignore if you're a company that isn't that confident manufacturing hardware at high scale.
I will say it was much worse back in the days of only physical media, when it wasn't unusual to have to wait for the PAL release of games (with additional languages) and then to have them even further delayed. The existence of digital distribution forces them to a more reasonable schedule if they want to bother with selling any physical games at all.
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Comment on No one’s laughing now: ‘Joker Folie à Deux’ falls down with $39m-$40m opening: How the sequel went sideways in ~movies
deimosthenes Link ParentI've been watching a movie a week in VR with friends for about 4 years now, and I actually really like it. First on a quest 1, although I did recently upgrade to a quest 3. The screen dooring on...I've been watching a movie a week in VR with friends for about 4 years now, and I actually really like it. First on a quest 1, although I did recently upgrade to a quest 3. The screen dooring on the quest 1 was noticeable but also pretty easy to ignore.
It does make me reluctant to pick especially long movies, but anything in the 1.5-2 hour range is generally fine.
Bigscreen VR is the app I'd recommend, if you're interested in giving it a go.
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Comment on Choosing a TTRPG system in ~games.tabletop
deimosthenes Link ParentAs someone that has recently made the transition I'd say that both pathfinder 2e and D&D 5e are pretty fundamentally complicated games compared to plenty of lighter options in the space. I...As someone that has recently made the transition I'd say that both pathfinder 2e and D&D 5e are pretty fundamentally complicated games compared to plenty of lighter options in the space. I actually don't know if either game is drastically more complicated than the other, they just manifest it differently.
D&D does a good job of looking a bit simpler on the surface which can be appealing as a new player sitting down to look at the material. This comes at the expense of having a lot of gaps where there isn't much guidance on how to do something and the DM has to patch things together on the fly and homebrew parts of the system to get it to work. This can be a lot of slowdown for rules arbitration, etc. in the thick of things sometimes.
Pathfinder 2e has a lot more of these edge cases fleshed out and tighter balance as a whole. This is great support if you're the one running the game and generally it plays a bit more tactically and consistent, but seemingly having a rule for everything can be a lot to wrap your head around at first glance. The arithmetic of adding bonuses to your dice roll can also lead to bigger numbers I suppose, which I know some find off-putting.
I'm definitely a bit biased in which I prefer but you can definitely have a lot of fun with either.
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Comment on Bethesda yanks Thatcher's Techbase Doom mod from in-game browser in ~games
deimosthenes Link ParentNot quite, in that Wolfenstein 3D predated Doom by a year or so. Not that this really changes the point being made.Not quite, in that Wolfenstein 3D predated Doom by a year or so. Not that this really changes the point being made.
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Comment on Is there a digital D&D that is turn-based and go at your own pace? in ~games.tabletop
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah it has multiplayer and it largely works well. The UI gets pretty flustered when multiple people try to take actions at the same time though, so designating someone to control the overworld...Yeah it has multiplayer and it largely works well. The UI gets pretty flustered when multiple people try to take actions at the same time though, so designating someone to control the overworld map can cut down on frustration.
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Comment on What slow-burn game is worth the time? in ~games
deimosthenes LinkLots of excellent suggestions, one I didn't see listed yet is Noita. I originally picked it up and only put a few hours in, until I kept seeing it mentioned enthusiastically in threads like these....Lots of excellent suggestions, one I didn't see listed yet is Noita.
I originally picked it up and only put a few hours in, until I kept seeing it mentioned enthusiastically in threads like these.
It's a brutally difficult action rogue-like with a fully destructible physics-driven environment. There's very little up-front explanation of the mechanics or the plot or even the goal, and the world is absolutely rife with secrets. But if you persevere (or more likely look up some tips or tutorials) then it can be incredibly rewarding when things click. I've got well over a hundred hours and I'm only barely scratching the surface of what is there.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
deimosthenes Link ParentYeah I caught this without much context or expectations because it was showing at a film festival screening a few friends were going to. I was impressed by the pacing and how well it balanced...Yeah I caught this without much context or expectations because it was showing at a film festival screening a few friends were going to.
I was impressed by the pacing and how well it balanced action and world building with quieter comedic moments. -
Comment on It’s time to bury the defective detective in ~tv
deimosthenes Link ParentIt was on my mind too, partly because I'd been rewatching and enjoying it recently despite being pretty apathetic to most crime drama. As you've pointed out, the way in which Monk was flawed felt...It was on my mind too, partly because I'd been rewatching and enjoying it recently despite being pretty apathetic to most crime drama.
As you've pointed out, the way in which Monk was flawed felt less tired and formulaic. There's a warmth and kind-heartedness to the character that does a better job getting the viewer on board than the "loose cannon that gets results" trope this article largely seems to be railing against.
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Comment on Those who read a lot of fiction shown to have improved cognitive abilities in ~science
deimosthenes LinkI suppose the association between reading fiction and empathy makes intuitive sense. Beyond exposing you to a lot of different perspectives than your own, written fiction is more prone to first...I suppose the association between reading fiction and empathy makes intuitive sense. Beyond exposing you to a lot of different perspectives than your own, written fiction is more prone to first person accounts. It's more feasible to include trains of thought and introspection directly in written work than other media like film or television, which more often has to be seen from the point of view of an arbitrary observer and demonstrate this stuff externally.
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Comment on Is it time for a user growth campaign? in ~tildes
deimosthenes Link ParentOn your latter point about niche content, I think it can also relate to plenty of users (myself included) being reluctant to comment if I don't feel like I have much insight to contribute. If I've...On your latter point about niche content, I think it can also relate to plenty of users (myself included) being reluctant to comment if I don't feel like I have much insight to contribute.
If I've followed the link through and read an interesting but niche article and see that there are 0 comments then that can feel kind of intimidating and I'm likely to move on. If there's already at least a little bit of discussion (even just the op saying what they found interesting) then it can be easier to riff on that existing discussion.
On the response to moderation, I wonder if it's to do with most modern social media being viewed as a public town square, rather than somewhere private that someone actually owns, hosts, controls and moderates and which you've been invited to participate in.