All the good email clients go to hell
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delphi's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Video Thread in ~misc
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Comment on The end of the MrBeast era in ~tech
delphi Link ParentNeither have I, I only know what he does thru people mentioning it on other social media. It's hard to deny his influence, though. I'm aware of him, and I know he's the most subscribed channel,...Neither have I, I only know what he does thru people mentioning it on other social media. It's hard to deny his influence, though. I'm aware of him, and I know he's the most subscribed channel, and just from that he's built a brand so massive every sugar-addicted ten year old knows his filmography by heart.
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Comment on Do you have any game sub-genres that you have a name for, but aren't big enough to be "official" sub-genres? in ~games
delphi LinkI have "Sci fi narrative game set on a sci fi space station where you're left to uncover the mystery of what happened", which is so specific that it weirds me out there's more than one. Tacoma...I have "Sci fi narrative game set on a sci fi space station where you're left to uncover the mystery of what happened", which is so specific that it weirds me out there's more than one.
- Tacoma
- Event[0]
- Observation
- The Invincible
- Signalis
- Prey
(To a lesser extent)
- SOMA
- Observer
- Outer Wilds
- Disco Elysium
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Comment on The end of the MrBeast era in ~tech
delphi LinkThat really worried me. I mean, I'm not a fan of MrBeast, I think his content is a little too white-knight-esque for my liking, and I usually don't gravitate to videos where I'm being screamed at...In podcasts, Donaldson tells hosts that he goes so hard, he won’t stop working until he burns out and isn’t able to do anything at all. With a laugh, he admits that he has a mental breakdown “every other week.” If he ever stops for a breather, he says, he gets depressed. MrBeast is so laser-focused on generating content on YouTube that he describes his personality as “YouTube.” He acknowledges that this brutal approach to videos, which has cratered many creators over the years, is not healthy. “People shouldn’t be like me. I don’t have a life, I don’t have a personality,” he said in a podcast recorded in 2023.
That really worried me. I mean, I'm not a fan of MrBeast, I think his content is a little too white-knight-esque for my liking, and I usually don't gravitate to videos where I'm being screamed at for most of the runtime, but this... I dunno, this humanised him more than I ever thought was possible. Yeah, he might be unfathomably rich, but this gig is clearly destroying him. Surely there's something to be said about what the attention economy crash did not only to viewers but also to creators.
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The end of the MrBeast era
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Comment on Some thoughts about Starfield's world in ~games
delphi LinkI was quite excited for Starfield, so much so that I took a day off work so I could play it on release. For what it's worth, it's exactly as you described. It's serviceable. It's like a Big Mac....I was quite excited for Starfield, so much so that I took a day off work so I could play it on release. For what it's worth, it's exactly as you described. It's serviceable. It's like a Big Mac. It'll stop the hunger for a while, but not much more. Formulaic, and very little space (hah) for your own stories.
What really gets to me with Starfield is that I love the genre. I mean, adore it. Star Trek was my childhood, and the whole idea of "Space as a giant earth" where little is unexplored and there's political conflict at every corner is really interesting to me. I've written stories myself, and worldbuilding remains my favourite pastime, for that reason. It can be such a great canvas for creative writing.
Story disappoints me, open for detailed thoughts & spoilers
But Starfield... it honestly feels like a mockery of the genre. It hits all the trademark tropes, sans humanoid aliens with FX make up, but it's just so... empty. I thought there was a lot of potential with the story. The way you discover that Earth was destroyed by the same thing that enables your space travel, that's cool, and I'm not being facetious. It's such a ripe canvas for good stories. I could come up with a dozen ideas and I wouldn't even have to try. The game doesn't do anything with this. In fact, it ties the core plot into... a canonical explanation for New Game Plus.
That's not what I played this game for. If anything, knowing that the goal of the game is to restart it and lose all your progress is honestly insulting to me. I wanted to live in this world. I wanted to care. I wanted there to be at least two Star Trek shows worth of content, and if I had any say about it, it would have been TNG and DS9. And, to their credit, they definitely tried, but that's where it ended.
Characters are another miss. There's a few interesting ones, and I think it's narratively smart to kill the one you spend the most time with half-way through, but the game just never... commits. You see your favourite companion die at the half-way point. Not ten minutes later, it's revealed that he's still alive in the form of a parallel universe version. Great, way to ruin an emotional gut punch that could have actually worked.
Part of me wants to say that Bethesda has been getting lazy. Maybe that's true, I don't care to litigate that though. All I know is that I trusted them with a genre that's near and dear to my heart, and they clearly didn't even respect it enough to write a story that doesn't end with "Universe big, nothing matters". Maybe that's on me for expecting something sophisticated from Todd Howard and his merry band of mediocres, though.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - GG no re (End of an era) in ~games
delphi LinkThat's a shame. I really enjoyed my time on it, even though I stopped playing it when life got in the way. Thanks to you for running it, and shout-out to my buddies @noox and @bendvis for the fun... -
Comment on Nintendo is suing the creators of popular Switch emulator Yuzu, saying their tech illegally circumvents Nintendo's software encryption and facilitates piracy in ~games
delphi LinkHaving read the complaint, I'm honestly not sure how Nintendo will have a case here. The complaint more or less hinges on the fact that "Users illegally hack their own Nintendo Switch console in...Having read the complaint, I'm honestly not sure how Nintendo will have a case here. The complaint more or less hinges on the fact that "Users illegally hack their own Nintendo Switch console in order to obtain prod.keys", and that the Yuzu dev team provides a guide on how to do this. This is, in my opinion, an incredibly weak case - especially in the US. I bought a switch. If I want to throw it in the creek, that's my call. If I want to play a game on it, that's my call. If I want to rip the files out of it, that's my call. Alleging that this is illegal would set an immensely dangerous precedent Re:Right to Repair.
Despite me being pretty anti-Nintendo and pro-Emulation, even pro-Piracy in some cases, I will admit though that Yuzu made one mistake, one which Nintendo mentions in their complaint. They showed Tears of the Kingdom running on their website before the official release date. That's careless, and it's clear the only way they could have obtained it is by piracy. Not saying that's morally wrong, just saying that Nintendo clearly does have a case when it comes to that.
I hope the judge and jury in this case will rule in favour of Yuzu or just dismiss. It's honestly disgusting how Nintendo gets to output subpar hardware even a Steam Deck can emulate, and then throw a hissy fit when people try to work around their asinine limitations that are blatantly hostile to the consumer.
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Comment on What are the best websites/programs for creating mood boards / image collages / 'visual lists'? in ~tech
delphi Link ParentInteresting app. Tried it, but found the usability and learning curve to be a big hinderance. Probably could do with a major redesign.Interesting app. Tried it, but found the usability and learning curve to be a big hinderance. Probably could do with a major redesign.
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Comment on What are the best websites/programs for creating mood boards / image collages / 'visual lists'? in ~tech
delphi LinkFor moodboards, I've been using Apple's new Freeform app, or if you don't use their devices, I found Figma's FigJam whiteboarding tool to be very useful. All the neoliberal capitalist co-working...For moodboards, I've been using Apple's new Freeform app, or if you don't use their devices, I found Figma's FigJam whiteboarding tool to be very useful. All the neoliberal capitalist co-working nightmare stuff it comes with is easy enough to ignore, and you get a very competent web-based scrapbooking app.
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Comment on ‘Impossible’ to create AI tools like ChatGPT without copyrighted material, OpenAI says in ~tech
delphi LinkSorry to necropost, but I feel like I’m alone in my opinion: I don’t really care. I think the existing copyright systems for the largest part don’t actually benefit society, just the copyright...Sorry to necropost, but I feel like I’m alone in my opinion: I don’t really care. I think the existing copyright systems for the largest part don’t actually benefit society, just the copyright holder, so to me all the discussion about if it’s legal just isn’t interesting. Is it moral? That’s certainly a question to answer, but in my mind, if it furthers development of a technology like this I’d be inclined to give it a pass. For research, I think this should be allowed.
And an additional thought: even if it’s not legal or moral, people had to have known that it could happen. I mean, the internet is open to anyone.
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Comment on Why more PC gaming handhelds should ditch Windows for SteamOS in ~games
delphi LinkI wish this was because Linux was the obviously superior choice for gaming, but instead we're welcoming it because it's "oh my god anything but Windows". I wish Anticheat was more common on Linux...I wish this was because Linux was the obviously superior choice for gaming, but instead we're welcoming it because it's "oh my god anything but Windows". I wish Anticheat was more common on Linux too, would love to play The Finals or Destiny on my deck. I'm really rooting for Linux to become more mainstream, but for that you not only need support for gaming, but also Pro workflows. Adobe, Autodesk, Ableton, stuff like that (Shout-out Davinci Resolve for stellar Linux support)
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Comment on Unpopular opinion: Capitalism is a better ideology than socialism or communism because greed is a more tolerable emotion than fear/envy in ~talk
delphi Link ParentI don't think I'm qualified enough to talk about your other points, but when it comes to the "who will do the dirty work" question, studies have shown that the opposite is the case. When a UBI is...I don't think I'm qualified enough to talk about your other points, but when it comes to the "who will do the dirty work" question, studies have shown that the opposite is the case. When a UBI is enacted, unemployment counterintuitively goes down, and no evidence suggests that the "dirty work" is not getting done. After all, the incentive to work is still there, because suddenly your labour becomes a lot more valuable if it's on top of a base income, rather than the sole source. It's a bonus, and you're encouraged to work more and harder to make your entire income–basic and laboured–better.
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Comment on Unpopular opinion: Capitalism is a better ideology than socialism or communism because greed is a more tolerable emotion than fear/envy in ~talk
delphi Link ParentOn the contrary! While it’s a common meme to just say “those weren’t socialism”, that is the case, to some degree. Most of these regimes weren’t driven by the core goal–economic democracy–but...- Exemplary
On the contrary! While it’s a common meme to just say “those weren’t socialism”, that is the case, to some degree. Most of these regimes weren’t driven by the core goal–economic democracy–but rather conquest, war and (funnily enough) greed.
Consider an implementation of socialist policy in a progressive country like Finland. A universal basic income (we can’t abandon currency because of the international community), healthcare and housing for all, an equitable society that encourages artistic pursuits and volunteering– it could work. Most studies on pilot projects with these goals yield positive results because especially in the modern age, the societal consciousness (at least in Europe) has most definitely shifted towards “we should make sure no one needs to suffer unnecessarily”, which certainly wasn’t a concern of Mao’s or Pol Pot’s.
I don’t think most people realise that you don’t even have to change much to arrive at a socialist society. Yes, currency would still exist, as would competition, the market economy, everything we know and (partially) love about capitalism, but it wouldn’t be our primary concern anymore. Everyone’s provided for on a base level, and everyone’s encouraged to help one another. Would this mean high taxation? Sure, but I’d sleep soundly knowing my income is helping those that would help me in a heartbeat if I ever was in a bind.
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Comment on We are not creating the "right" kind of AI in ~tech
delphi Link ParentI wonder if that's because we've been told to see ML-generated images as inherently inferior. No, I'm not looking forward to a future where all art will be made my machines, but I'm also not...I wonder if that's because we've been told to see ML-generated images as inherently inferior. No, I'm not looking forward to a future where all art will be made my machines, but I'm also not saying that these systems are "bad at making pictures" or entirely useless as a product. I've seen quite fascinating AI pieces, and while I know no conscious thought was put into them, I can still look at them and be like "wow, that's fascinating, I wonder how the computer arrived at the math necessary to make this specific image". Sometimes you see patterns it clearly doesn't understand or intend. I think it's interesting on an academic level, and it's cool what the tech can do - which is why I call it Machine Learning Image Generation and not Artificial Intelligence Art. Calling it art projects some form of humanity onto it, when it's just mathematics and therefore inherently neutral.
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Comment on We are not creating the "right" kind of AI in ~tech
delphi LinkI disagree with this premise. If you haven't read the article, the gist is that instead of using machines to automate menial and repetitive tasks with some form of complexity, we use it to...I disagree with this premise. If you haven't read the article, the gist is that instead of using machines to automate menial and repetitive tasks with some form of complexity, we use it to automate creative processes instead. Not exactly the hottest take, it's more room temperature. And, with that point I don't have a problem. I'm a graphic designer, and while I'm not as hardline Anti-ML as some of my peers, I do see it as a bit disheartening that people think they can replace artists with unfeeling machines. Not the point here, though.
The premise here is simply wrong. "We're not creating the 'right' kind of AI" - wrong. We are. We're only marketing the wrong kind of AI.
I use LLMs at work to automate things I don't wanna do. This includes meaningless copywriting drivel nobody will give more than half a thought of brain cycles to, and it includes writing scripts to, for instance, transform an enormous XML export into separate human readable texts. I could do this with Excel, I could do this by writing Python by hand, but I let a machine do it because 1. it's orders of magnitude faster, even if i have to debug the code the machine made, and 2. it's, even with mistakes, doing a far better job than I ever could. I'm not a programmer. If you're willing to dredge through the capitalist hellscape of Product Hunt, there's some pretty useful apps in there, once you get behind all the marketing bullshit. No, I won't have ChatGPT write my essays. Only I can do that. But have it sort an unreasonably long JSON array I don't even know will be worth my time to look through? Sure, machine, go on.
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Comment on Steam Deck users, has anyone found a compact docking setup? in ~games
delphi Link ParentRelevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkMwLbIQlOgRelevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkMwLbIQlOg
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
delphi Link ParentThat's the thing, it's not! He just vaguely points at environmentalists and ecofascists and says that if you assume that humans destroy the planet, the conclusion is that conservation means...That's the thing, it's not! He just vaguely points at environmentalists and ecofascists and says that if you assume that humans destroy the planet, the conclusion is that conservation means extinction of humanity. It's standard conspiracy nonsense, there's no "extinctionists". The truth is that he bought Twitter because he's an idiot with a wallet larger than his head and an equally massive ego
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
delphi LinkI don't even wanna get into this bullshit, but this garbage justification from Elmo that he bought twitter to "take it from the extinctionists" and that "twitter was basically just another arm of...I don't even wanna get into this bullshit, but this garbage justification from Elmo that he bought twitter to "take it from the extinctionists" and that "twitter was basically just another arm of the government" makes me want to fall asleep in a burning Tesla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssob-7sGVWs - Quick Start Ep. 7. Really loved this one. It's an exploration of one baffling and one cursed, scuffed and irresponsible feature on older HP executive laptops, with a biting but absolutely spot-on analysis of the capitalist condition near the end.