hamstergeddon's recent activity

  1. Comment on Tildes down? in ~tildes

  2. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (June 2023) in ~talk

    hamstergeddon
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    I'm a few weeks back on Ritalin to treat my ADHD. It seems to be filling in the gaps of my anxiety meds pretty nicely. Best I can guess is that a lot of my anxiety is actually the result of the...

    I'm a few weeks back on Ritalin to treat my ADHD. It seems to be filling in the gaps of my anxiety meds pretty nicely. Best I can guess is that a lot of my anxiety is actually the result of the ADHD and so treating that is eliminating a lot of the anxiety. Real-world impact of this is that I've had less social anxiety, which is huge. I went to a memorial day cookout mostly anxiety-free. I've also had 2 virtual meet-and-greet meetings at work and neither one fazed me at all. And biggest is that I took my kids to a playground alone and had a really good interaction with a fellow parent and her kids. All of that is usually a major source of anxiety for me, but I was able to enjoy it all now.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on Rural Americans are importing tiny Japanese pickup trucks in ~life

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    It just drives me nuts that trucks the size of the 90s/00s Ford Ranger (or equivalent from other makers) don't exist anymore. The new ranger is certainly smaller than an F150, but not by much. The...

    It just drives me nuts that trucks the size of the 90s/00s Ford Ranger (or equivalent from other makers) don't exist anymore. The new ranger is certainly smaller than an F150, but not by much. The thing still sits super high off the ground and is massive compared most non-truck things on the road. I was behind one at a traffic light yesterday and couldn't believe it was the modern equivalent of my neighbor's old ranger.

    Given how expensive importing can be, there's clearly a market for folks like me who just want a sanely sized truck to haul trash, move furniture, grab lumber for home projects, etc. Just large items that don't fit in a car, but don't necessitate a MASSIVE engine to move around. Hell, bring back the El Camino, because that would basically be perfect for my limited needs.

    7 votes

  4. Comment on Tildes Video Thread in ~misc

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    How Feudalism Finally Ended In 2008 Interesting video about a Channel Island that clung to Feudalism until 2008 Hell March - Frank Flepacki & The Tiberian Sons We were talking about fallen game...
    • How Feudalism Finally Ended In 2008
      • Interesting video about a Channel Island that clung to Feudalism until 2008
    • Hell March - Frank Flepacki & The Tiberian Sons
      • We were talking about fallen game dev studios at work yesterday and Westwood came up. I had to give Hellmarch a listen, of course.
    • V-Lite: Disposable Lightweight VHS Tape
      • Interesting video about "disposable"/cheap VHS tapes that showed up too late to be useful
    • SCSI, usb of the 80s
      • Really great breakdown of SCSI, which is a standard I didn't have much experience with. By the time I got into building computers, USB was already king, so I was glad to get a history lesson on one of its predecessors.
    • Why Nobody Lives In Venice
      • A really insightful look at how Venice is more than the canal part we all know, the troubles the locals face, and some history
    • Why Bluey's "Sleepytime" is One of the Best Episodes of Television
      • Bluey has been a big part of my life since become a parent. It's one of those kids shows that's really educational for parents and kids alike. If I had to pick an animated idol to look up to as a father, it would probably be Bandit. But beyond all that, the show has a lot of really beautiful moments that capture what being a child or a parent is like. And this episode in particular is one of the best.
    3 votes

  5. Comment on ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Frozen’ and ‘Zootopia’ sequels in the works, says Bob Iger in ~movies

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    Honestly I completely forgot how 4 ended. My kids are obsessed with the movies, but we rarely get to the end before they want to watch a different one. Toy Story 2 loses its punch after the 50th...

    Honestly I completely forgot how 4 ended. My kids are obsessed with the movies, but we rarely get to the end before they want to watch a different one. Toy Story 2 loses its punch after the 50th partial viewing, I tell ya.

    I hope we get option #2. The exploration of the 'underworld' of the Toy Story universe is interesting to me. The lost toys, the happy meal toys from that one short, toys pinned to trash trucks, daycare toys, etc. They're all a lot more interesting to me than toys that have a kid.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Google and Mozilla are working on iOS browsers that do not use WebKit in ~tech

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    ehhh I'm with you in spirit, but in practice it's more like we had to begrudgingly support a browser that saw infrequent updates and didn't adhere to standards as well as FF/Chrome did. While...

    it's just a shame that it may mean the end of the one browser that forced developers to consider anything other than Blink.

    ehhh I'm with you in spirit, but in practice it's more like we had to begrudgingly support a browser that saw infrequent updates and didn't adhere to standards as well as FF/Chrome did. While nowhere near as god-awful , Safari on mobile has become the new IE6 in a lot of ways for us frontend developers.

    4 votes

  7. Comment on ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Frozen’ and ‘Zootopia’ sequels in the works, says Bob Iger in ~movies

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    My hopes for a Toy Story 5 are less emphasis on Woody having an existential crisis leading him to selfishly put everyone in danger, and a heart-wrenching song making me feel guilty about not...

    My hopes for a Toy Story 5 are less emphasis on Woody having an existential crisis leading him to selfishly put everyone in danger, and a heart-wrenching song making me feel guilty about not keeping my GI Joes.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Inside the implosion of Justin Roiland’s animation empire in ~tv

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    If you asked me a year ago how I thought the R&M subreddit would respond to allegations like this against Roiland, I don't think I would've guessed they'd turn their backs on him almost...

    If you asked me a year ago how I thought the R&M subreddit would respond to allegations like this against Roiland, I don't think I would've guessed they'd turn their backs on him almost immediately. Kind of impressed by their response, tbh.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on What happened to Google Search? in ~tech

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    On the subject of YouTube Shorts, they drive me nuts. Creators use them to promote longer form content rather than create interesting short form content (which I also enjoy, just not on YouTube)....

    On the subject of YouTube Shorts, they drive me nuts. Creators use them to promote longer form content rather than create interesting short form content (which I also enjoy, just not on YouTube). And there's no rhyme or reason to what they're promoting with Shorts. It could be today's video (which is pointless, imo) or a video I already saw 4 years ago that didn't get enough views. I understand that's the hustle of YouTube, and I respect that, but it contributes heavily to cluttering up my Subscriptions list. To the point where I miss the content I actually want to consume because it's just like 1 full-length video surrounded by half a dozen Shorts. And all of this would be fine if I could simply filter out Shorts, but that's not possible. Heck, letting me tweak my subscriptions to individual channels so I can subscribe to long form or shorts (or both) would be awesome. But nope, YouTube is insisting that Shorts be a thing, so a thing it will be for everyone.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on The Lincoln Highway: Across America on the first transcontinental motor route in ~hobbies

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    When I first clicked this yesterday I thought to myself "there's no way I'm watching a 7 hour video, I don't have the attention span" Then after an hour or so I thought "Well I'm enjoying it so...

    When I first clicked this yesterday I thought to myself "there's no way I'm watching a 7 hour video, I don't have the attention span" Then after an hour or so I thought "Well I'm enjoying it so far, but there's no way he keeps talking about actually interesting things the entire time". I'm about 5 hours in, eagerly waiting for him to cross over into my state to see what he thinks of towns I'm familiar with. Maybe he'll share some interesting snippets of history I don't know. I'm excited to see!

    It really helps that this video can be enjoyed as audio-only. There are some interesting historical photos and footage presented, but his commentary is what makes the video.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on Megathread for news/updates/discussion about Musk's takeover of Twitter – Part 3 in ~tech

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    I did around the time it looked like he was seriously going to buy it (but before he did). It was really the final nail in the coffin, though tbh. Tweeting felt pointless (just shouting into the...

    I did around the time it looked like he was seriously going to buy it (but before he did). It was really the final nail in the coffin, though tbh. Tweeting felt pointless (just shouting into the void) and I wasn't following anyone important. My interest in twitter peaked a couple years ago, admittedly, so it wasn't that hard for me to leave it.

    I really don't miss it. Most of the worthwhile stuff gets posted to various subreddits a day or two later and that's good enough for me. I do kind of miss having a place to just spout out whatever is on my mind at a given moment, but like I said before it was just shouting into the void anyway.

    4 votes

  12. Comment on The Last of Us - S1E2 Discussion in ~tv

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    Especially since the game provided a less potentially problematic threat at this part of the game. That being said, this approach was definitely more high stakes and emotional than the in-game...

    The way it was used in this episode makes me feel it was an unnecessary addition.

    Especially since the game provided a less potentially problematic threat at this part of the game. That being said, this approach was definitely more high stakes and emotional than the in-game was, imo.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    I decided to dip my toes into game development as a little break from my 9-5 job as a frontend web developer. I'm loosely basing it off of a game a friend of mine developed for the TI-83+ back in...

    I decided to dip my toes into game development as a little break from my 9-5 job as a frontend web developer. I'm loosely basing it off of a game a friend of mine developed for the TI-83+ back in highschool, called gridrun, where you had to get from point A to point B by touching every blank square on the screen, while avoiding impassable squares.

    I quickly learned that game development requires thinking a bit differently than web dev usually requires, even for something as simple as what I've got so far. Right now all you can do is move the player around the board, and there's some very basic collision detection in place to prevent you from going off the board or re-visiting a square. The 'characters' in the game were all just text symbols for a while until I decided to liven things up a bit with emoji. I don't particularly plan on that being the 'final' look for the game, but I'd be lying if I said testing wasn't a lot more fun with a smiley face eating apples and leaving a trail of poop in its wake.

    Ultimately though this is a learning experience for me. A chance to have some fun in the evenings writing code for myself, rather than clients. There's a very real likelihood that I'll get bored with it in a day or two, but for now it's a fun way to spend my freetime.

    Demo: https://duenas.dev/game/
    Source: https://github.com/jd13313/gridrunjs

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Inside Job creator confirms show has been cancelled by Netflix in ~tv

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    How the hell did Paradise PD get 4 seasons and Inside Job got 2?

    How the hell did Paradise PD get 4 seasons and Inside Job got 2?

    5 votes

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    Medieval Dynasty is a hybrid RPG, survival, and town-builder set in Medieval Europe (at least heavily inspired by it, if not literally in Europe). The UI and UX are clunky at best, the graphics...

    Medieval Dynasty is a hybrid RPG, survival, and town-builder set in Medieval Europe (at least heavily inspired by it, if not literally in Europe). The UI and UX are clunky at best, the graphics ain't pretty, but the writing and gameplay are pretty good. I was really into it for a couple of days and got burned out on it pretty quick. Will likely return to it eventually. That's usually the lifecycle of these kinds of games on my computer. Heavy play, burn out, don't touch for months, rinse repeat.

    Pokemon Omega Ruby Doesn't really need an introduction. But I bought the game years ago and never really got far into it, despite having enjoyed gen3 back in the day. I've been on a Nuzlocke Run kick lately (having started, but not finished a Violet nuzlocke), so I decided to start one in OR. I'm enjoying it a lot, but man that game sure makes Nuzlockes tricky. Which is ironic given that gen3 was the birthplace of that concept. You jump around the map a lot, which means keeping track of whether or not you've caught a pokemon on a given route isn't as straight-forward as it usually is. I've been using Nuzlocke Tracker to help with that. But also there are long stretches where you can't get to a PC (for disposing of the bodies) or a Pokecenter to heal. I guess the newer games have spoiled me greatly! I'm about to get my last gym badge though. Once I do I'm going to be going back to any routes I didn't catch Pokemon on and start forming a proper Elite 4 team.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    hamstergeddon
    Link
    During Christmas, my grandfather told me I could pick out any books from his library that I wanted to keep. He's always been big on history, so I jumped at the opportunity and grabbed a bunch of...

    During Christmas, my grandfather told me I could pick out any books from his library that I wanted to keep. He's always been big on history, so I jumped at the opportunity and grabbed a bunch of books about early American history, WW2, and a few others that interested me. Given my grandfather's religious and political leanings as well as the age of some of the books, I'm going to be taking a lot of them with a pinch of salt until I can verify the quality of the books a bit. I don't mean to look a gifted book in the dust jacket, but this is the man that gave me a Rush Limbaugh book about the American Revolution a few years back. Safety first!

    But anyway, my favorite grabs were his Landmark books. If you're unfamiliar, Landmark books were a series of history books for kids that give a very broad overview of various events, people, etc. I very fondly remembering reading a few of them as a kid for various book reports. As an adult, they're very devoid of detail, but do make a good launching point for further study. For example, I was reading one about The Crusades and learned about Peter The Hermit. I quickly realized I didn't know anything about The Crusades as reading about Peter ultimately lead to the Rhineland Massacres, which I had never heard of and the book completely omitted. I can't think of a valid reason to either, given that the book takes no issue describing the violence between Muslims and Christians. Doesn't even seem like a bad attempt to paint the Crusaders in a positive light, because the book describes the chaos they sowed on their way to/from Constantinople.

    Definitely taking all of those books with a pinch of salt, but will continue to read them to encourage me to do further read of more detailed sources (just wikipedia for now, admittedly).

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Muppet a movie in ~movies

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    But play it completely straight. Everyone except for the audience understands what Swedish Chef Jarvis is saying without issue.

    But play it completely straight. Everyone except for the audience understands what Swedish Chef Jarvis is saying without issue.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on Johnny Cash - Hurt (2002) in ~music

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    I didn't realize "I Hung My Head" was a cover. It feels like such a Cash song, I never questioned whether it was or not.

    I didn't realize "I Hung My Head" was a cover. It feels like such a Cash song, I never questioned whether it was or not.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Year in Review: Games of 2022 in ~games

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    Violet is the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game in a few generations now. Visually a little wonky at times (low-res textures on mountains, low-fps background characters, etc.), but I haven't...

    Violet is the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game in a few generations now. Visually a little wonky at times (low-res textures on mountains, low-fps background characters, etc.), but I haven't run into any major bugs or hiccups in my playthrough. I genuinely don't care about the visual issues though, tbh. Graphics are so secondary to literally everything else in a game to me. Some of the decisions and performance issues are baffling, to be sure, but they don't take way from the experience for me.

    I really enjoyed the story being split up in 3 different paths, although I did feel a little lost at times and did out-level zones faster than I probably should've. XP-share did help make that a great opportunity for me to keep a very fluid team of Pokemon throughout the game. I usually build a team of 6 and plow through the game with it with some minor adjustments at the end. But in Violet I basically kept swapping different Pokemon around to fit the level of the content I was facing. XP share + XP items from raids meant it was really easy to spin up a fresh team of Pokemon to fit whatever I was doing. It also really helped me out with filling my Pokedex, and let me beat the game with a little over 250 Pokemon in total.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Kanye West praises Hitler, Nazis in openly antisemitic rant: 'I like Hitler' in ~music

    hamstergeddon
    Link Parent
    Watch out Carrot Top, there's a new prop comic on the scene!

    Watch out Carrot Top, there's a new prop comic on the scene!

    3 votes