hobbes64's recent activity
-
Comment on The Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in ~sports.baseball
-
Comment on ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ powers to amazing second-best global opening at box office with $927m worldwide (355m domestic / 572m international) in ~movies
hobbes64 Link ParentI used to think it would be cool to see ticket sales count rather than gross. That would be more accurate to judge the popularity of a movie. But there's a lot of other things that affect that...I used to think it would be cool to see ticket sales count rather than gross.
That would be more accurate to judge the popularity of a movie.
But there's a lot of other things that affect that too. There are more people in the world than there were before. But also there are more entertainment options. -
Comment on Help selecting a mechanical keyboard in ~comp
hobbes64 Link ParentI just found out about VIA by reading your message. Thanks! (It may be a pain, but it's better than nothing)I just found out about VIA by reading your message. Thanks!
(It may be a pain, but it's better than nothing)
-
Comment on Google just ruined one of its most important tools in ~comp
hobbes64 Link... ...Earlier today, I used Google Earth to conjure images of terrible things: office buildings on fire, mass destruction in San Francisco, a smoldering crater in place of the Eiffel Tower. I was able to because Google had just decided to integrate its AI image generator, Nano Banana, into the service, which has historically been used by people seeking satellite or aerial imagery of real-world locations.
Just open the site, “pick a spot on the map, and start bringing your ideas to life,” Google wrote in a press release announcing the update some 24 hours ago. So I did.
I was easily able to generate those violent images simply by searching for a location on Google Earth, clicking the “Create image” icon, and typing in a few words. The feature also readily doctored stills of less spectacular, and likely less immediately falsifiable, events: a homeless encampment on the White House lawn, protesters outside the Mar-a-Lago resort, immigrants streaming over the U.S.-Mexico border.
...
Before it allowed people to create fake imagery, Google Earth was a unique resource for researchers, journalists, and intelligence officials, particularly those studying armed conflict and natural disasters. Satellite and aerial imagery can be used to monitor crop failure or deforestation, the creation of mass graves, and the results of bombing campaigns. Especially in conflict zones and other areas that are hard for people to reach, satellite imagery is a go-to method for establishing some sort of ground truth. After Google Earth rolled out the AI feature, though, one investigative reporter wrote on LinkedIn that the tool could be used to easily and rapidly create images of drone strikes that look “very close to what we’ve seen in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and other war-torn conflict zones.” And instead of requiring malicious actors to find a screenshot and then get around some AI model’s safeguards, Google rolled everything needed for a misinformation farm into one smooth user interface. It took me all of four seconds to generate a rendering of a Trump Hotel on the Gaza Strip.
...
Google is, of course, not alone in releasing AI features that have had embarrassing, dangerous, and avoidable consequences. See, for instance, Elon Musk’s Grok generating more than 1 million sexualized images, including of children, over just a few days, or any number of embarrassing errors made by ChatGPT releases throughout the years. Again and again, the AI industry undercuts its rhetoric about safety by launching products with little or no due diligence. If, as every major AI executive has pronounced, this technology really could upend human civilization, their companies should perhaps start taking that responsibility seriously.
-
Google just ruined one of its most important tools
22 votes -
Help selecting a mechanical keyboard
I'm looking to replace my current mechanical keyboard which has a few problems. If anyone has recommendations I would appreciate it. Here is what I'm looking for: Mechanical switches USB C and...
I'm looking to replace my current mechanical keyboard which has a few problems. If anyone has recommendations I would appreciate it.
Here is what I'm looking for:
- Mechanical switches
- USB C and bluetooth.
- Smaller size (no keypad)
- Clicky but not too loud. I think I currently have "brown" switches which are good.
- Backlit (but not colorful unless I'm able to set it to something muted or single-colored)
- Works with mac, pc, linux, and maybe tablets
I don't care very much if there is a battery in the unit as long as it can switch to bluetooth while plugged into usb.
I went to mechanicalkeyboards.com and looked around and got a bit overwhelmed. Looks like the prices are mostly under $200 which would be ok.
What went wrong with my current keyboard:
It's an EPOMAKER TH80 pro. The size is good, the features are good, and the keyboard feel is good. But the battery went dead so it has to be plugged in all of the time, and several of the keys get double presses at random so I have to backspace a lot.Thanks!
29 votes -
Comment on Is anyone watching Widows Bay? (Apple TV) in ~tv
hobbes64 LinkI watched the entire season a few weeks ago. It is a very good show. Good enough that I'll probably rewatch it. It sounds like you have only watched some of it so far. When you mentioned that it...I watched the entire season a few weeks ago. It is a very good show. Good enough that I'll probably rewatch it.
It sounds like you have only watched some of it so far. When you mentioned that it seems like Stephen King wrote Parks & Rec, did you realize that the creator of the show Katie Dippold was a writer on Parks & Rec? And each episode has sort of a theme that references other horror books and/or movies?
I also like listening to podcasts about some of the shows that I watch. For this show, I recommend The Prestige TV Podcast with Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney.
-
Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
hobbes64 Link ParentAirplane: This movie was considered amazing when it came out but I'm sure most of the humor does not resonate with anyone under 40 or 50 years old. Here's just a small list of things that probably...Airplane: This movie was considered amazing when it came out but I'm sure most of the humor does not resonate with anyone under 40 or 50 years old. Here's just a small list of things that probably don't click for younger people:
- They probably don't recognize Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and what he meant by referencing UCLA and dragging Walton up and down the court.
- They probably don't think it's funny for two of the main actors, Robert Stack or Leslie Nielsen, to be in a comedy. They used to be in very serious war or crime movies.
- They probably don't know who Barbara Billingsley was, and how shocking it was for Beaver Cleaver's mother to be saying those things.
Besides the dated cultural references, I assume that there is a lot of humor that targets marginalized groups in a way that's not funny now.
-
Comment on Game Pass was supposed to save Xbox – instead, it’s killing the company in ~games
hobbes64 Link ParentIf it was too good of a deal, then the subscriber count wouldn't have dropped from 34 million to 30 million in 2 years. I guess the point of the article is that game pass should be more like XBox...If it was too good of a deal, then the subscriber count wouldn't have dropped from 34 million to 30 million in 2 years.
I guess the point of the article is that game pass should be more like XBox Live Arcade, which was mainly a platform for small and indie games and caters to a different kind of gamer. Providing AAA games caused Microsoft to raise the price too much, which cost them a lot of subscribers.
I used to have a 360 and I loved the live arcade stuff because it was small investments of time and money. I don't feel like putting the effort into AAA games anymore, and if I did, I would only want maybe one a years. -
Comment on Reminder to myself that my employer does not give a shit about me in ~life
hobbes64 LinkBig companies often have messaging like “We’re a big family” and “people are our most important asset” but those same companies will have layoffs without warning and have dumb policies like “you...Big companies often have messaging like “We’re a big family” and “people are our most important asset” but those same companies will have layoffs without warning and have dumb policies like “you have to be in the office 3 days a week even though everything went fine when you worked from home full time during covid”.
The actions should match the words.
-
Comment on Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
hobbes64 Link ParentI think the downsides are that the backmarkers could selectively block some teams and let others through. I'm not sure if that is a strategic element that they want to have in F1. There could be...I think the downsides are that the backmarkers could selectively block some teams and let others through. I'm not sure if that is a strategic element that they want to have in F1. There could be cases where a midfield team could benefit from a leading team losing. Or it could be used corruptly, for example RB could move over for Red Bull since it's owned by the same company, but block McLaren.
-
Comment on The Odyssey - discussion thread in ~movies
hobbes64 Link ParentI thought Matt Damon was ok for most of the movie but in my opinion was perfect casting for what happens near the end. Spoiler Alert When he was defeating an entire room of suitors I actually...I thought Matt Damon was ok for most of the movie but in my opinion was perfect casting for what happens near the end.
Spoiler Alert
When he was defeating an entire room of suitors I actually exclaimed JESUS CHRIST IT'S JASON BORNE -
Comment on What pre-NES games do you still recommend today? in ~games
hobbes64 LinkThere are a ton of arcade games that are still fun. Most of them were space themed and you only lasted for about 10 minutes even if you were good. So they were kind of like minigames are now. Here...There are a ton of arcade games that are still fun. Most of them were space themed and you only lasted for about 10 minutes even if you were good. So they were kind of like minigames are now. Here are some at random but there are many more great ones:
- Asteroids
- Missile Command (unique control - large tracball)
- Defender
- Scramble
- Bezerk (very early use of voice)
- Battlezone (unique control - levers like a tank)
- Robotron (probably the first twin-stick shooter)
Computer games:
Most of these were initially on the Apple II but many were also ported to Atari 800 and Commodore 64. Some are arcade games but may have hundreds of levels. Some were action adventure and may take weeks to finish.- Choplifter (had a sequel by Sega that was in the arcade and on Sega Master System)
- Lode Runner (hundreds of levels
- Caverns of Mars
- King's Quest (first or one of the first Sierra Online games by Roberta Williams)
- Aztec (destructible environments!)
- Castle Wolfenstein (early stealth game. Many modern sequels)
-
Comment on What pre-NES games do you still recommend today? in ~games
hobbes64 Link ParentIn fact the Atari VCS / 2600 version of Space Invaders is astoundingly good for the time. It was brilliantly coded to work around the limitations of the console. It's not quite as good as the...In fact the Atari VCS / 2600 version of Space Invaders is astoundingly good for the time. It was brilliantly coded to work around the limitations of the console. It's not quite as good as the arcade but very fun and much better than a lot of the other arcade ports that came later.
Nerdy details: The VCS was designed to play games like pong. Technically it had:
- 2 regular 1-color sprites called players.
- 2 smaller 1-color sprites called missiles
- No fonts
- No screen memory - If you wanted to have a background, the code had to redraw it.
There's a good book called Racing the Beam that explains the hardware.
The arcade Space Invaders had 11 columns and 5 rows of aliens.
The VCS version had 6 columns and 6 rows of aliens.The specific reason for the 6 columns is because there were only 2 sprites. But there was a sprite mode that allowed a sprite to be repeated twice on the same line. So you could make 2 sprites look like 6.
The reason why there could be more than one row of invaders is because the same sprite could be redrawn on another line with a different shape.The score on the screen was also drawn by reusing sprites.
That was part of what "Racing the Beam" was about. -
Comment on Atari makes Universal movie deal for ten iconic game properties in ~movies
hobbes64 LinkOk I'm going to come up with plots for each. No AI was used in creating this comment. Asteroids Chris Prat or equivalent generic actor mines the asteroid belt by day and falls in love with his AI...Ok I'm going to come up with plots for each. No AI was used in creating this comment.
Asteroids
- Chris Prat or equivalent generic actor mines the asteroid belt by day and falls in love with his AI pilot by night
Adventure
- Chris Pine fights some dragons that look like ducks. Michelle Rodriguez is also here. There's a sub plot where they find a Wizard of Oz guy named Warren.
Berzerk
- Will Smith really hates robots and he fights them as he tries to get back to his daughter. The robots all have the voice of Jeff Goldblum. Evil Otto is played by Jack Black.
Breakout
- It's like Escape from Alcatraz, but in space.
Centipede
- This is really a story of the human centipede but it's kind of subtle to get a PG rating. The gross stuff happens off screen.
Crystal Castles
- Brian Cranston is a king who lives in a crystal castle. The crystal has a blue tint that makes it way more valuable than the other castles. There's a lot of crime or something happening. The audience won't like the queen very much.
Millipede
- This is the sequel to Centipede. It's like the same but 100 times more of everything.
Missile Command
- Matthew Broderick returns as the David, the kid who wanted to play tic tac toe with the defense computer but ended up almost starting a world war. This time, David is old and has grown tired of humanity and wants to end it. But there's a friendly AI who will save everything. The AI is voiced by Amy Poehler.
Pong
- This is a sequel to Marty Supreme, but Marty is a mentor for a young tough street kid. The kid should probably be a girl. Yeah. And she should have blue hair.
Yars’ Revenge
- This is a pirate movie, kind of like the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. They say Yarrr a lot, but they say some other things too. Johnny Depp is in it, but not how you think. He just voices a CG parrot who sounds a lot like Michael Jackson.
-
Comment on Atari makes Universal movie deal for ten iconic game properties in ~movies
hobbes64 Link ParentWow how awesome these movies would have been in 1985.Wow how awesome these movies would have been in 1985.
-
Comment on Introducing XBOX backward compatibility on PC in ~games
hobbes64 LinkThis seems cool, mostly. But right away I also have a feeling that there’s something sinister about it. Because it’s Microsoft. Because it’s a digital license. So I assume that I’m not really...This seems cool, mostly.
But right away I also have a feeling that there’s something sinister about it. Because it’s Microsoft. Because it’s a digital license. So I assume that I’m not really going to own it. And it’s going to spy on me. And there’s going to be a 40 page agreement to sign before I use it.
And sure enough, I went to look at the details for Blinx and I noticed this little blurb:
“Publishers of games you launch receive access to your Xbox profile information and associated data while you play.”
I don’t know man. I’m just not in the mood for this shit anymore. When these games came out, you had a disk or a cart and you put it in a game system and maybe it gave a warning about flashing lights or carpel tunnel. But probably there was no company looking over your shoulder and logging when and how often you played it. (Well, actually this was the Xbox which had network capability so maybe they did. But other games from that time and before didn’t).
-
Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
-
Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
hobbes64 Link ParentThis is very interesting to me. There’s always such a difference between chains and independent businesses. One thing I noticed years ago is that if you order a burrito and it comes wrapped in...This is very interesting to me. There’s always such a difference between chains and independent businesses.
One thing I noticed years ago is that if you order a burrito and it comes wrapped in foil, it’s probably going to be really good. Because a corporate beancounter (no pun intended) at a chain restaurant would have cut the budget on not just foil but also quality ingredients.
-
Comment on DEI isn't dead: New research finds most companies still back workplace inclusion in ~finance
hobbes64 Link ParentThe insane hypocrisy of the Trump admin pretending that DEI results in unqualified people, while they are stacked with idiots from Fox News and family members and general buffoons whose only...The insane hypocrisy of the Trump admin pretending that DEI results in unqualified people, while they are stacked with idiots from Fox News and family members and general buffoons whose only traits are lack of ethics and a shameless loyalty to the dumbest and most corrupt politician who ever stumbled into the White House.
I used to be a big dodger fan years ago. I'm now a casual fan who only watches a few games a year and the playoffs.
Last few years it started making me uncomfortable with how they have been using accounting tricks or whatever to buy a dominant team. I always hated the yankees when they dominated similarly.
And now I'm not following them at all anymore because of their association with trump.