JCPhoenix's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
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Comment on Reminder to myself that my employer does not give a shit about me in ~life
JCPhoenix Link ParentNo way. Any paid time not at work is by definition not a wasted day, even if I'm just gaming or watching TV all day or sleeping. I've even gone on trips where sometimes I just spend the day in the...No way. Any paid time not at work is by definition not a wasted day, even if I'm just gaming or watching TV all day or sleeping.
I've even gone on trips where sometimes I just spend the day in the hotel, or if I'm visiting my family, their house, where I'm just lounging on my computer all day. Only occasionally chitchatting with my dad or mom or brother (when he still lived with them). That's time well spent, I'd say.
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Comment on Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
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Comment on Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentI think over in IndyCar, blue flags aren't a thing. At least not to the extent of F1. I think cars that are lapped are able to defend their position from leading cars if they want to. They don't...I think over in IndyCar, blue flags aren't a thing. At least not to the extent of F1. I think cars that are lapped are able to defend their position from leading cars if they want to. They don't have to automatically give way like in F1, unless race control or the team specifically orders it for some reason.
And I actually think that makes more sense. If this is the "pinnacle of motorsports," than they shouldn't have it easy. Even if F1 backmarkers can't be aggressive with the leading drivers, why should lapped drivers have to stop their fights for other cars? And I'm pretty sure Carlos was fighting with one of the AMs around the time that Sainz hit Piastri. Obviously Sainz shouldn't have hit Piastri in any situation. Not saying that's OK. But it's a valid track situation that lead drivers should be expected to navigate.
I'm sure there are historical reasons why I'm wrong.
Anyway, however, so long as the rules say backmarkers should get out the way, then they should. Or at least be aware of their surroundings so they don't accidentally hit someone who they're not even fighting.
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Comment on What are your favourite fragrances, and why? in ~talk
JCPhoenix LinkOnly two colognes I've ever used long-term: Chrome by Azzaro and Reaction by Kenneth Cole. That said, I stopped using Chrome long time ago. Like early college. Something about it changed for me. I...Only two colognes I've ever used long-term: Chrome by Azzaro and Reaction by Kenneth Cole. That said, I stopped using Chrome long time ago. Like early college. Something about it changed for me. I don't know if the formulation changed, but it wasn't as good. Or maybe my tastes (smells?) changed, in the sense that I didn't feel like it fit me anymore. It felt "too soft.' I'm not mister masculine by any means, but it just didn't fit how I viewed myself any longer.
Since then just stuck with Reaction. Which I think strikes a better balance between light & refreshing while not being super "soft." Though it's also not overpowering and doesn't scream "MAN." Which is perfect. In fact, I think the fragrance's problem is that it doesn't last very long at all. Anyway, I ran out last year finally and still haven't bought a new bottle.
I remember almost buying a DNKY men's fragrance once. Don't remember which one. Maybe I should look (smell?) into that again.
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Comment on Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix LinkAlso, big news: Bahrain GP is back on the menu! In Sepang, Malaysia! October 2-4. Also note that the Azerbaijan GP, Sept 24-26, is a Thursday through Saturday (local time) race weekend. So the GP...Also, big news: Bahrain GP is back on the menu! In Sepang, Malaysia! October 2-4.
Also note that the Azerbaijan GP, Sept 24-26, is a Thursday through Saturday (local time) race weekend. So the GP is on Saturdaym NOT Sunday. Plan accordingly!
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Comment on Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix LinkI like Carlos Sainz. But WTF Carlos?! Screwed over Piastri big time. Though with the latter's DNF, maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Ferrari strategy masterclass as usual. Pitting Hamilton, causing...I like Carlos Sainz. But WTF Carlos?! Screwed over Piastri big time. Though with the latter's DNF, maybe it wouldn't have mattered.
Ferrari strategy masterclass as usual. Pitting Hamilton, causing him to lose track position. Obviously Hamilton's speeding in the pit limit is his own fault, but maybe that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been told to pit.
Also, poor Russell #9348278 at this point.
On the positive side, Max's overtake on Hamilton? Amazing. And the AM's finish P13 and P14? Alright, OK, let's see where this goes...
Anyway, it's summer break! No F1 for four weeks! Enjoy the break, enjoy sleeping in and/or not staying up late. Stay cool!
Maybe silly season in the meantime? 🙏🏽
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Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Hungarian Grand Prix
Hungaroring
July 24-26, 2026
Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps 1 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:18.277 1:17.456 1:17.207 16 2 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:18.730 1:17.803 1:17.219 15 3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:18.984 1:17.626 1:17.445 20 4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:18.726 1:18.393 1:17.479 20 5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:18.891 1:17.928 1:17.684 15 6 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:18.656 1:18.249 1:17.725 18 7 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:18.856 1:18.445 1:17.760 20 8 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 1:18.754 1:17.872 1:17.856 14 9 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:19.233 1:18.360 1:18.281 18 10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:18.796 1:18.639 1:18.686 18 11 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:19.161 1:18.765 12 12 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:19.741 1:18.844 12 13 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:19.771 1:19.027 12 14 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:19.069 1:19.105 11 15 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1:20.010 1:19.734 12 16 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:20.126 1:19.808 15 17 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:20.233 6 18 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:20.621 9 19 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:20.658 9 20 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:20.659 8 21 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:20.886 10 22 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:21.322 9 Source: F1.com
Grand Prix Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts. 1 1 Lando Norris McLaren 70 1:39:56.180 25 2 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 70 +15.080s 18 3 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 70 +18.728s 15 4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 70 +23.840s 12 5 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 70 +24.540s 10 6 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 70 +55.488s 8 7 63 George Russell Mercedes 70 +57.503s 6 8 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 69 +1 lap 4 9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 69 +1 lap 2 10 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 69 +1 lap 1 11 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 69 +1 lap 0 12 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 69 +1 lap 0 13 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 69 +1 lap 0 14 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 69 +1 lap 0 15 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 68 +2 laps 0 16 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 68 +2 laps 0 17 23 Alexander Albon Williams 68 +2 laps 0 18 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 68 +2 laps 0 19 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 68 +2 laps 0 NC 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 55 DNF 0 NC 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 48 DNF 0 NC 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 13 DNF 0 Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc // 1:22.000 on lap 58
DOTD: Max VerstappenSource: F1.com
Next race:
Dutch Grand Prix
Circuit Zandvoort
August 21-23, 202611 votes -
Comment on Survey: The temperature in my room now is _____ and it feels _____ in ~talk
JCPhoenix LinkThe temperature in my room now is 76°F/24.4°C and it feels good. It's probably actually a little cooler in here, maybe be like a degree or two, but that's what the thermostat says. It's 4am on the...The temperature in my room now is 76°F/24.4°C and it feels good. It's probably actually a little cooler in here, maybe be like a degree or two, but that's what the thermostat says.
It's 4am on the US east coast. I've had my windows open all day! Nice to save some on electricity.
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Comment on Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold | Extended teaser trailer in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentCould've been a callback, "Do you guys not have keyboards?" moment. But for real. I'm not even a console player and immediately had the same concern!Console players (at least, the ones who don't plug in a keyboard) are going to hate this,
Could've been a callback, "Do you guys not have
phoneskeyboards?" moment.But for real. I'm not even a console player and immediately had the same concern!
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Comment on Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold | Extended teaser trailer in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkEU Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 is this weekend in Berlin and the big the keynote session was today. I posted the initial Evercold expac teaser back in April during the NA Fan Fest in Anaheim....EU Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 is this weekend in Berlin and the big the keynote session was today. I posted the initial Evercold expac teaser back in April during the NA Fan Fest in Anaheim. So we've gotten a little bit more revealed in the trailer and more info.
Felt a little thin, even though it was like 2hrs long; lots of recap from Anaheim, honestly. Big reveal this time around was the reveal of the new tank class: Bastion. It's like a shield+gun combo. Looks cool. But I have "Tankxiety" so I probably won't ever play it ;_;
Also, the next 8-player Normal Raid Series is a Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy crossover. Which is neat...but I think it's weird that both the 24-player Alliance Raid series and the 8-player Normal raid series are crossovers. Idk. Feel like you can do one or the other each expac, but not both. FFXIV is a very large and deep world; why not develop something FFXIV-centric for one? Or even both?
A kind redditor summarized everything from the Keynote. Gonna watch the replay of the Dev Panel sometime this evening.
Full Day 1 stream replay here.
The last Fan Fest in Tokyo at the end of October should show off a lot more. Especially since Evercold releases in January.
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Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold | Extended teaser trailer
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Comment on You can vote on the design of the next Euro banknotes! in ~design
JCPhoenix LinkI like D, F, G, and I. I thought the stylized versions of the portraits looked cleaner, more modern than the other versions of people. Like A's photograph of Maria Callas just doesn't look right....I like D, F, G, and I.
I thought the stylized versions of the portraits looked cleaner, more modern than the other versions of people. Like A's photograph of Maria Callas just doesn't look right.
Then for the birbs on D and I, I like the vertical notes. On I, I like how the sun/moon and birds look. Idk, can't explain it.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentFFXVI remains one of the few FFs I've finished. But I also finished it in like three weeks. Which for me and JRPGs, is usually on the order of months or even years. Like XVI isn't a bad game. And...FFXVI remains one of the few FFs I've finished. But I also finished it in like three weeks. Which for me and JRPGs, is usually on the order of months or even years. Like XVI isn't a bad game. And I enjoyed it enough. Obviously I played it to completion. But it's definitely...just mid. It's like the most solid 7/10 game I've played. Which is not necessarily a good thing.
I'm with you. If someone was new to the series or even JRPGs as a whole, and wanted to start with a Final Fantasy title, I would not recommend XVI. I'd recommend like X or even the VII Remakes. Maybe even IX (even though I don't particularly care for it).
I didn't mind the active battle system (though I think FF7R's is better). But I very much disliked how basic the equipment system was. Like once I got the accessories I wanted, I never changed them. And even with the Eikons, I barely swapped them out. I feel like the game should've forced players to use different ones throughout the game. Exploration, as in trying to completely reveal an entire map, was pointless since there were practically no rewards (ie treasure chest). But...I did like the story. And I thought the characters and their motivations were alright, if not particularly deep. And also Dion Lesage. So pretty...
XVI absolutely feels like something created to cater to Western audiences (of which I am a part of) to get people into JRPGs. Which is funny to me, because E33 was probably better at that than XVI. And then I felt like Metaphor: ReFantazio, which stuck with its JRPG roots, was far more talked about and hyped than XVI.
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Comment on The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn’s “thought leadership” content mill in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentI'm not an expert either, and my family too is from the Philippines (well, my parents are; I'm from the US), but my understanding is there's a burgeoning middle class, especially in places like...I'm not an expert either, and my family too is from the Philippines (well, my parents are; I'm from the US), but my understanding is there's a burgeoning middle class, especially in places like Metro Manila, because of BPO companies and virtual assistants and the like. Young educated people can jobs at these places and they pay decently.
Having visited the Philippines a couple times, it is weird to pass by the BPO offices late at night, like midnight around Makati and Taugig. It's an office park; it should be dead that late at night. But no! Tons of people just hanging out outside the buildings on their breaks, smoking, chitchatting, whatever. But they're probably servicing American clients that are 12+hrs behind, where it's daytime.
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Comment on Question for those who played both the original and remake of Final Fantasy VII in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentThanks for sharing that. It's cool to listen to them side-by-side so to speak. The new Tifa's Theme is better IMO. It's a lot cozier, but then so is the Seventh Heaven bar in the Remake. But like...Thanks for sharing that. It's cool to listen to them side-by-side so to speak. The new Tifa's Theme is better IMO. It's a lot cozier, but then so is the Seventh Heaven bar in the Remake. But like Crazy Motorcycle isn't nearly as good. Though I do think it matches the intensity in the Remake waaaay better. There's a looooot more going on in Remake versus the original in that part of the game.
Which is what I think makes comparing them tough. Each soundtrack is naturally made for each game, but then each game has created entirely different moods and settings.
As an aside, that reminded me of when I was a kid finding the MIDI files online for FF7, playing them through the computer speakers...and then recording them to a tape cassette. Not with cables from the PC to the tape recorder, but just through the air! Crappy quality as you can imagine, but at least I could listen to the songs on my cheap little tape player with headphones!
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Comment on America’s enterprising spirit is booming after decades-long slump in ~finance
JCPhoenix Link ParentI got you: Gifted article.I got you: Gifted article.
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Comment on Why socialists should embrace luxury apartments in ~society
JCPhoenix (edited )Link ParentThe US does have some public housing, but it's nowhere near the levels that the UK has with council housing and the like. About the only place that still has public housing at scale is NYC....The US does have some public housing, but it's nowhere near the levels that the UK has with council housing and the like. About the only place that still has public housing at scale is NYC. Everywhere else has severely lowered their public housing stock to the point it doesn't matter and moved to things like subsidized housing, like Section 8 vouchers. Government gives you a check for housing, then you just pay the landlord. Though I think the property/landlord has to be part of the Section 8 program and satisfy various requirements and regulations to participate. Some cities have "income-restricted housing" programs where private developers get tax abatements for setting aside a small number of units that are rented at less than market rate to people below the set income level. As such, public housing doesn't really exist in the US in the same way it does in the UK and other countries.
I suspect that's what drives US vs UK thoughts on public housing. To you all, it's normal. Some people, even middle class folks, live in council flats. But in the US, very, very few live in public housing, it's needs-based, and therefore it's almost always lower-income folks who live in remaining public housing.
Here, the last major public housing efforts were "Housing Projects." Or more colloquially, "the Projects." And it does not have good connotations. These often did turn into crime-ridden slums, due to underinvestment, often willful. And many of the most egregious and well-known, such as Cabrini-Green in Chicago or Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis were eventually condemned and demolished. These are so well-known that the memories live on in the public consciousness. So aside from "blah blah I don't wanna support welfare queens," which is a big factor on its own, our past experiences with public housing also color expectations around future larger scale public housing.
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Comment on Why socialists should embrace luxury apartments in ~society
JCPhoenix Link ParentAgreed, but I think there's still the issue of public housing ultimately being controlled by voters. Local or otherwise. And given the political situation many of us find ourselves in these days,...Agreed, but I think there's still the issue of public housing ultimately being controlled by voters. Local or otherwise. And given the political situation many of us find ourselves in these days, I don't know if I'd like my living situation dictated by my fellow citizens. Plainly speaking, they're idiots.
If voters perceive that "too much" is being spent on public housing, they will vote in officials who will do something about it. Which could reduce investments into simple things like required maintenance and upkeep. The voting public become the slumlords.
So does that mean that because of that, we should have no public housing? Of course not. Just because we can't get 100% perfect welfare and public assistance doesn't mean we should have zero of it. Something is better than nothing. I'm pragmatic.
But in the context of mat's "All new builds should be state projects. No private landlords, no private developers," suggestion, yeah no way. I suppose if perhaps one day ALL renters are living in publicly-owned housing, then they could theoretically constitute a large enough local voting bloc to protect and maintain public investment into their housing. But it's going to take a long time to get there. And still may not be enough.
Doesn't help that in the US, everyone and their mother seems to get a say in public projects, no matter how little affected or affected at all. NIMBYs, sigh...
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Comment on Why socialists should embrace luxury apartments in ~society
JCPhoenix (edited )LinkI used to live in Kansas City. And for over 5yrs, I lived on the Plaza, one of the city's nicer, more urban neighborhoods. The Plaza felt like "real" city living due to density; lots of...I used to live in Kansas City. And for over 5yrs, I lived on the Plaza, one of the city's nicer, more urban neighborhoods. The Plaza felt like "real" city living due to density; lots of mid/high-rise apartments and condos. Very walkable with restaurants, cafes, shopping, nightlife, museums, parks, now the Streetcar, etc.
Which means it commands higher rents than many other parts of town.
The place where I (and my brother) lived was older. It was a mid-rise apartment building was from the 50s or even 40s. But it likely had some renovations in the 10yrs prior to us moving in. So it was mostly alright.
More importantly, however, there were also a lot of new apartments and condos going up all around us. "Luxury apartments." Many of which opened up while we lived there. And something interesting happened: our rent went down. Every time my brother and I signed a lease -- sometimes 12mos, sometimes even 6mo -- we successfully argued for lower rent or for the rent to stay the same. At the beginning, it was like $1500/mo. By the end, just over $1300/mo. So far, that's the only place I've lived where that's happened. Repeatedly.
I think that's likely because of all the new apartments around that were definitely asking for higher rents. If the place we lived at wanted tenants, they were going to have to either make some serious improvements/investments or compete on price. And they chose the latter. It's not like my brother and I couldn't afford those new places. We likely could've, but we didn't want to. But maybe other tenants made that decision to literally move across the street for something newer and nicer. Which opened up new opportunities for those "upgrading" to where we lived.
I just checked if that place had any similar units to ours available; which they did. And the price they're charging today is like 7% higher than what my brother and I paid when we first moved in...10 years ago.
I am like 99% positive that I rented this game from Blockbuster back in the day as a kid. But I don't remember any of it. Which I guess isn't that unusual; I don't remember every game I ever rented. As such, playing Lufia II this month is basically a completely new experience for me.
Context: I played about 11hrs total. The last place I got to was the tower west of Gordovan, after it just got destroyed. I played the US version via emulator (the new ZSNES emulator is pretty nice btw).
I'll start with two things I liked. The first one is the puzzles. It's a nice way to break up the monotony of moving through a dungeon. While I didn't need a guide for most of the puzzles, there were definitely a few times I was like "Screw it, give me the guide," if I couldn't figure it out after a few attempts. But there was never a time I was exasperated by them.
The other is that I think the game did a good job of explaining what various spells and IP skills (special moves attached to various equipment) do. I feel like games of that era often didn't do that. Like you got a new spell or ability, and really the only way to tell what it did was to use it. If you were lucky, you got a brief though almost cryptic description. But with Lufia II, you actually get stuff like "3 times more damage than normal attack. Effective against enemies vulnerable to ice." Nice! Honestly, sometimes even more modern JRPGs aren't that descriptive!
And those descriptions are super helpful. Case in point, the spell "Poison." What's its description? "Antidote for poison." Wait, wut? Well glad that the descriptions are decent! 😅
On the other hand, I found the dialog to be pretty disappointing. It's super basic. And the little dialog that is there feels forced. Nothing the characters say feels worth remembering. Many times, I just found myself quickly skimming dialog so I could see where to go next.
Additionally, the overall gameplay loop felt pretty basic, too. By the time I got to the tower in Gordovan, I was like, "Again? Another tower already?" I understand that JRPGs have a pattern. Start in town, get quest to save/retrieve person/item, go to dungeon to save/retrieve person/item, head back to town to turn in person/item, then go to next town and do it again.
But it's very in your face here. It doesn't feel very "hidden" underneath the overall story. Hell, where are the sidequests? This is a surprisingly linear game, even for a JRPG. Almost felt like Final Fantasy XIII, where you're just constantly, go, go, go, go, go!
Which got me thinking, "When did this game come out?" Because it feels quite dated. And not just in dialog, but like...everything. Well almost everything. The whole Pokemon-esque thing, which I didn't really understand why it's there, is obviously a bit forward thinking.
Anyway, surprisingly, it was 1995 (released in 1996 for NA). Hmm...Wait, what other games came out around this time?
Quite the competition. As such, Lufia II feels like it could be a late NES game or super early SNES game (Final Fantasy IV came out in 1991, for example).
Perhaps I need to play more of Lufia II. And I think I will. I probably won't finish it; I don't finish most JRPGs. It's definitely not what I was expecting. I place a lot of emphasis on story, characters and dialog, and world building and lore. And I'm just not really seeing much of that here. Yet, anyway.
Maybe that's why I don't remember playing Lufia II back in the day.
Regardless, great choice by @zod000 and the rest of the community for CGA! I get that Lufia II stands in the shadows of its more well-known peers. But that doesn't mean it's not part of the "JRPG canon." And as someone who really, really enjoys JRPGs, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to play it.