Eji1700's recent activity
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Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech
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Comment on Voyager Technologies CEO says space data center cooling problem still needs to be solved in ~space
Eji1700 Link ParentI do not assume they're idiots. I assume they're manipulating people who don't understand physics to get government subsidies. We do have it all figured out. It's basic physics and economics. It's...I also think it's a bit hubristic to assume that they're idiots who can't see that it's infeasible and we've got it all figured out.
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I do not assume they're idiots. I assume they're manipulating people who don't understand physics to get government subsidies.
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We do have it all figured out. It's basic physics and economics. It's the same reason the Hyperloop and the Mars Mission WERE scams, and many experts in the field rightly called as such. Space X doesn't violate physics and economics out of the gate on a fundamental level, and that was discussed heavily when its project was proposed as well.
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Comment on The AI disruption has arrived, and it sure is fun (gifted link) in ~tech
Eji1700 Link ParentThe $350k for dataset clean seems absurd, or seems to assume a temp rate billed yearly even though it wasn't. Something like a $175 an hour for top of the line work for a one and done temp job is...The $350k for dataset clean seems absurd, or seems to assume a temp rate billed yearly even though it wasn't. Something like a $175 an hour for top of the line work for a one and done temp job is believable, but obviously you're not actually charging $350k.
Data cleanup CAN be somewhere where AI could punch above its weight because you might know the correct answer and thus can quickly check if the AI got it right (everything SHOULD sum to X, but it's not), however it's a lot more likely to be one of the worst possible uses? When you can't check the AI's output it's hard to tell if it's actually getting the right result or just getting a result that passes a cursory glance.
In the end without a link to the data (which I know they can't) I feel like I'd default to "and then everyone clapped" energy on it. Could also just be an insane cost of living area (Cali/NY) which is another reason I hate raw numbers thrown out like that without some sort of breakdown as to why they'd make sense.
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Comment on Humbe Bundle Books: (Almost) the entirety of Discworld for $16 in ~books
Eji1700 Link ParentHumorous fantasy satire about life and society. I traditionally recommend starting with Guards Guards, Mort, Going Postal, or a stand alone like Small Gods. Some of his earlier stuff can be a bit...Humorous fantasy satire about life and society.
I traditionally recommend starting with Guards Guards, Mort, Going Postal, or a stand alone like Small Gods. Some of his earlier stuff can be a bit rough/less interesting, but all of those start decent and lead to some of stellar writing.
I absolutely believe several of those series, or at least stand alone novels from them, should be mandatory reading in schools.
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Comment on The Possessed Machines: Dostoevsky's Demons and the coming AGI catastrophe in ~society
Eji1700 LinkI….augh. Look if a non science person reads an Einstein paper and finds it accurate it’s not prophecy. It’s ignorance from ignoring an entire field. Tech and science LOVE to rediscover that it...What I found there was so uncanny, so precisely calibrated to our present moment, that I began to suspect Dostoevsky of a kind of prophecy.
I….augh.
Look if a non science person reads an Einstein paper and finds it accurate it’s not prophecy. It’s ignorance from ignoring an entire field.
Tech and science LOVE to rediscover that it turns out a lot of philosophy/political science/economics is about the fundamentals of human nature and is not specific to X era but based on abstracted observations on humanity in general.
I fundamentally disagree with how much of threat these things are (or maybe what vectors they’re a threat on) but it’s hard to read this as much more than “woah this Hobbes guy is onto something”.
AI safety teams are expected to be marketing gimmick first by anyone who’s paid attention to business for the last couple of centuries. Or anyone who’s read about or worked on emerging tech or industries.
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Comment on SciFi and cosmic horror storytelling in games in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentHaving also played tunic I think it’s something that almost everyone should play. Such a great game from so many angles. Especially the layered storytelling.Having also played tunic I think it’s something that almost everyone should play. Such a great game from so many angles. Especially the layered storytelling.
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Comment on The mega-rich are turning their mansions into impenetrable fortresses in ~finance
Eji1700 Link ParentTo be a bit literal about it, you're likely off by one or two 0's. Lot more population, lot more weaponry, LOT more infrastructure that will be non functional that's allowed vast swaths of people...To be a bit literal about it, you're likely off by one or two 0's. Lot more population, lot more weaponry, LOT more infrastructure that will be non functional that's allowed vast swaths of people to live who wouldn't normally, and much more likely to not have clearly defined lines or objectives.
And that's before you get into the chance of other nations seeing this as an opportunity to get involved/worried they need to secure nuclear launch capability.
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Comment on The mega-rich are turning their mansions into impenetrable fortresses in ~finance
Eji1700 Link ParentIt never really stopped? This article is acting like its a new thing, it isn't. Benevolent or malicious some level of security starts to be reasonable once you're over a certain line. I went to...It never really stopped? This article is acting like its a new thing, it isn't.
Benevolent or malicious some level of security starts to be reasonable once you're over a certain line. I went to school with a kid who had an emergency button at all times because a relative of his had been kidnapped and ransomed.
When there are absolutely legit grievances about wealth inequality and a shitload of wannabe revolutionaries calling for blood in the streets, yeah things escalate, but its never made sense to just completely forgo security after a point.
Hell even if these people gave up all their wealth there are those out there who would still absolutely be willing to harm them. I'm not saying they're benevolent or something, but the game theory on it has basically always been that once you're a public entity you need some level of protection. That's before you even get into parasocial/mental illness stuff like stalking.
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Comment on The mega-rich are turning their mansions into impenetrable fortresses in ~finance
Eji1700 Link ParentAs is often the case, what's the cutoff? Where do you draw the line between "comfortable" and "obscene"? There's LOTS of people north of 10m net worth who you'd never pick out of a crowd. Hell of...As is often the case, what's the cutoff? Where do you draw the line between "comfortable" and "obscene"? There's LOTS of people north of 10m net worth who you'd never pick out of a crowd. Hell of a lot less at the 1b mark, but private equity is a thing, and they take that privacy very very seriously.
People often have a very west focused view of these discussions but many of the worlds wealthy have opted to not play around in the media pool of pointless Forbes lists because it doesn't affect their country if they're on it or not.
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Comment on The mega-rich are turning their mansions into impenetrable fortresses in ~finance
Eji1700 Link ParentI believe history shows otherwise. People seem to celebrate the idea of violence vs the top of the chain and boy do I fucking get it, but there seems to be a serious range of definitions of where...And those are the people who will be passed over if things get nastier.
I believe history shows otherwise.
People seem to celebrate the idea of violence vs the top of the chain and boy do I fucking get it, but there seems to be a serious range of definitions of where that stops, and I have absolutely been around the people who would very casually, and literally, say that such people deserve to be "up against the wall".
It is honestly one of the reasons I really hate for people who casually call for violence, because I don't think they understand just how many people are going to wind up dead who they personally would've thought were fine.
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Comment on SciFi and cosmic horror storytelling in games in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentI've heard about this a few times. I'll have to look into it. I know it's a RPG maker hit (like Fear and Hunger) but not much else.I've heard about this a few times. I'll have to look into it. I know it's a RPG maker hit (like Fear and Hunger) but not much else.
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Comment on SciFi and cosmic horror storytelling in games in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentSOMA's a classic yeah, and I'm sloooooowly getting through control (as i've mentioned elsewhere I find the combat bleh) but I love the vibe. I do worry that games/stories like control can get away...SOMA's a classic yeah, and I'm sloooooowly getting through control (as i've mentioned elsewhere I find the combat bleh) but I love the vibe.
I do worry that games/stories like control can get away with just throwing mystery boxes around and never delivering satisfying solutions beyond "Maaaaaagic" but I hear it's better than that.
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Comment on SciFi and cosmic horror storytelling in games in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentSignalis I watched a playthrough/breakdown of once I decided I wasn't feeling the PS1 survival part of it and yeah I think it's fascinating. Returnal totally went under my radar so i'll try that....Signalis I watched a playthrough/breakdown of once I decided I wasn't feeling the PS1 survival part of it and yeah I think it's fascinating.
Returnal totally went under my radar so i'll try that. I'm guessing that's because like the successor it's Playstation only on launch?
Soma's classic, and an interesting one since I think Marathon will be treading similar ground in the new game.
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SciFi and cosmic horror storytelling in games
Intro Honestly this is just something i've been ruminating about recently with the new Marathon game on the horizon. I've consumed a lot of sci fi compared to a normal person, and probably not...
Intro
Honestly this is just something i've been ruminating about recently with the new Marathon game on the horizon.
I've consumed a lot of sci fi compared to a normal person, and probably not that much compared to a serious fan. Wolfe, Asimov, Ellison, Sanderson, Card, Strugatsky, Crichton, etc for novels. Blame! jumps to mind for Manga, and I'm sure I could name shows and movies for quite some time even ignoring adaptations and re-tellings.
In general, I like novelty to some extent in my narrative media. Once you've seen enough, you see the patterns, and that can ruin some of the fun. You can have people who just execute a well known narrative perfectly, but it's nice when you stumble across something doing things you haven't seen before, or doing things you'd thought of but hadn't seen executed.
Video games have the potential to do some interesting things, but it's not a surprise that for FPS especially it gravitates to Power Fantasy. "OH GOD EVERYTHING IS WRONG! QUICK HERE'S A SHARP STICK INVADE HELL!" started with Doom (with 2016 actually having some great Pixaresque storytelling itself) and obviously does it well. Being the lone fighter vs hordes is at the bare minimum a fun gameplay loop.
The Games
However there are a shocking number of interesting or well executed plots in the genre as well. I think the big 3 that stand out to me are System Shock (which is sorta cheating as it's also an ImSim), Half-Life, and Marathon (but honorable mentions to both versions of Prey and E.Y.E. and I'm sure I'm forgetting others).
I'm going to skim over System Shock as "oh no the AI has gone crazy and evil" has been done before, and done better (in the same year...by another game on this list). Suffice it to say that Shodan is still a wonderful take on the whole concept. However System Shock does devolve into a larger power fantasy (save the day, stop the bad guy) despite starting as a small and helpless fool.
Half Life, in comparison, you spend most of the time running around doing your best to even figure out what the fuck is going on, and ultimately fail to accomplish much of anything meaningful. The Combine is so soul crushingly vast that even some super fighter like Freeman (which itself has always been odd) amounts to little more than a blip on a dashboard somewhere (as the 2017 spoiled HL3 ending showed...although I can find no working link to that as of right now).
Likewise Marathon, which has some fantastic storytelling in its use of terminals, has you as the objectively broken superhuman slaughtering enemies left right and sideways, and yet you're little more than a Rook or a Bishop for something SO much larger than you, only to find out that it's stumbled upon something even larger than it.
I won't dive into every detail (lots of good ways to do that. Mandalore, Emms, and the classic story website ) but Marathon takes the vastness of space, the standard "what if the AI went nuts/sentient", and so many other tropes and combines them into something quite unique. It's got the feelings of cosmic horror without falling back on "oh look its Lovecraft again" and I wish more games would take notes. Naturally Bungie even then was famous for connecting ALL their lore and that's probably part of it, but I also suspect any payoff for that is long gone after decades of riding the Halo and Destiny "what if heroes shot more bad guys" plan.
The End
With a new Marathon proper finally on the horizon, I'm more optimistic than I should be. Logically I know this is the company that made Destiny and they're still looking to just milk profit out of these things. That said I don't mind it being an extraction shooter or possibly a retelling (or alt telling...) of the Marathon story, and they even seem to understand the vibe that should be underpinning all of it. Either way it had me thinking about just how well the original Marathon and Half Life immersed you into the scale of what you were dealing with by letting you be the badass you are in just about every other game, and having it basically not matter. Either because your deeds accomplished nothing in the scheme of things or because your agency is utterly denied.
I think what really drew me to these games was finally seeing the idea of something like Lovecraft without the literally copy paste of the small port town and the tentacled cthulu monsters. I'd love to know what other games really stood out to people when it comes to SciFi and/or Cosmic Horror specifically. Or if you just agree/disagree on the ones I've rambled about.
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Comment on Control Resonant | Official gameplay reveal in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentI find doom a weird comparison because the whole point of better doom play is learning to switch to the right weapon for the job and how to survive when you "fail" and waste ammo and are left...I find doom a weird comparison because the whole point of better doom play is learning to switch to the right weapon for the job and how to survive when you "fail" and waste ammo and are left using something like the base shotgun to clear waves.
The right weapon for the job in Control is ALWAYS to chuck things at them.
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Comment on Control Resonant | Official gameplay reveal in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentRight, and using the shotgun properly in doom does, in my experience, take a lot more effort than Control. This is somewhat because Control is also a RPG/Loot game so you wind up overleveling one...Right, and using the shotgun properly in doom does, in my experience, take a lot more effort than Control.
This is somewhat because Control is also a RPG/Loot game so you wind up overleveling one thing and wiping the game with it. It's fine for a casual loop, but i don't see why anyone would be against making it better?
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Comment on Control Resonant | Official gameplay reveal in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentI mean...that's it though isn't it? As far as i've played its "Grab thing, throw thing, repeat". There's some lining up on what you want to grab, and making it hit things as it flys too you, but...I mean...that's it though isn't it? As far as i've played its "Grab thing, throw thing, repeat". There's some lining up on what you want to grab, and making it hit things as it flys too you, but it doesn't get that much deeper.
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Comment on Control Resonant | Official gameplay reveal in ~games
Eji1700 Link ParentBut it is combat heavy, its just bad combat? Explore the building (going where you were told), find a fight, beat the fight, repeat is 90% of the content. Boss fights are even worse. I agree...But it is combat heavy, its just bad combat? Explore the building (going where you were told), find a fight, beat the fight, repeat is 90% of the content. Boss fights are even worse.
I agree everything great about the game comes from mystery/world, but its far from a puzzle/walking sim. The core of the game is using your gun and powers and that feels bad.
I'm hoping they keep the world building and vibe of the first game for sure, but I'm not going to be upset about better combat when that was the main way you moved the plot.
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Comment on Control Resonant | Official gameplay reveal in ~games
Eji1700 LinkI’m intrigued if mostly because I love the idea of control but am still slowly struggling through the first game because the combat is boring. Going into melee with a variety of weapons should...I’m intrigued if mostly because I love the idea of control but am still slowly struggling through the first game because the combat is boring.
Going into melee with a variety of weapons should help with that.
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Comment on new Date("wtf"); How well do you know JavaScript's Date class? in ~comp
Eji1700 Link ParentThe part that’s frustrating is the refusal to improve the core library and instead leave everyone in a “just add this framework” standard. It’s the epitome of coder hubris. “We'll bash it into...The part that’s frustrating is the refusal to improve the core library and instead leave everyone in a “just add this framework” standard.
It’s the epitome of coder hubris. “We'll bash it into prod in a week and fix it later…. Promise”
I mean you can do it in raw VBA, but this is where we go in the loop of the author supposedly charging 350k for the work. I'm having a hard time seeing work like that EVER only needing in sheet manipulation.