JCPhoenix's recent activity
-
Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
-
Comment on US Federal Aviation Administration says it will phase out floppy disks from air traffic control by 2028 in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentI remember watching a video in the last year or so where I think it was Phoenix Sky Harbor airport went CTAF. Either the tower had to be evacuated or communications went down, so pilots had to...I remember watching a video in the last year or so where I think it was Phoenix Sky Harbor airport went CTAF. Either the tower had to be evacuated or communications went down, so pilots had to navigate themselves around other planes and such. Now PHX isn't like a major major airport like JFK or ORD or ATL. But it's not a small airport either. Lots of movement. And the pilots managed to get where they needed to go without incident.
-
Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
JCPhoenix LinkCurrently out of the country, but have been following the news all day long. Glad to see that many Americans chose correctly this time around. Now let's see Democrats do something with this come...Currently out of the country, but have been following the news all day long. Glad to see that many Americans chose correctly this time around. Now let's see Democrats do something with this come January.
Back home in Virginia, I believe all three state constitutional amendments passed: Securing reproductive choice, same sex marriage (even though the law was defunct because of the 2015 SCOTUS Obergefell decision), and restoration of voting rights to felons who've served their time.
As a federal employee, I do have some worries come early December when the current continuing resolution funding the govt expires. I could see Congress punting with another CR til the new year or Republicans starting some early fuckery and not funding the government. We shall see.
But for now, I'm happy with the results.
-
Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2026: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentI'm planning to participate, but I'll probably miss Week 1 on account me being on vacation (currently in Japan). I won't get back home til next weekend. But I definitely got some some games on the...I'm planning to participate, but I'll probably miss Week 1 on account me being on vacation (currently in Japan). I won't get back home til next weekend. But I definitely got some some games on the backlog I can burn through!
-
Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
JCPhoenix LinkI’ve been in Japan with my parents for the last week! Started in Tokyo, went to Hakone in the mountains, now we’re in Kyoto. Tomorrow we’ll take a day trip down to Hiroshima. It’s been tons of...I’ve been in Japan with my parents for the last week! Started in Tokyo, went to Hakone in the mountains, now we’re in Kyoto. Tomorrow we’ll take a day trip down to Hiroshima.
It’s been tons of fun, but ngl, hanging with parents for like a week almost non stop has been a little grating at times. From having to play tour guide to just Boomer comments…oof.
When we get back to Tokyo on Monday (head back to the US on Thursday), I might spend a day by myself!
-
Comment on If you use your computer in a dark environment, buy a monitor light! in ~tech
JCPhoenix LinkI have this one. I love it. It clamps to the desk. I can control the brightness and warmth. Even has a remote control that I have on my nightstand so I can turn it on/off from my bed. And then in...I have this one. I love it. It clamps to the desk. I can control the brightness and warmth. Even has a remote control that I have on my nightstand so I can turn it on/off from my bed.
And then in my other room with a desk, I have this one. Basically same features, except it's a typical desk lamp with a base and doesn't have a remote. I came across this in a hotel in Seattle and was like "I NEED this." Though it's not really a monitor lamp.
-
Comment on Non-queer men of Tildes: PLEASE consider before commenting on ~life.women and ~lgbt without careful consideration. We are losing members over this issue. in ~tildes
JCPhoenix Link ParentI still engage with the site regularly, but I've found myself not really engaging with more heated or controversial topics anymore. I'll lurk them, maybe even start typing out a comment, but then...I still engage with the site regularly, but I've found myself not really engaging with more heated or controversial topics anymore. I'll lurk them, maybe even start typing out a comment, but then end up deleting it. FWIW, the overall referenced thread was NOT one I intended on actively participating in.
Anyway, it feels like if I say the wrong thing, someone is going to jump down my throat. Even if they don't do it in a reddit-style manner. That's not to say I'm not willing to consider other viewpoints and new information; I am. But there are some community members who, to me, can be quite brusque. And I'd rather just stay out of their way, even if I often do agree with these folks.
And I also think there are people here who feel like they have to leave their opinion on everything. Like, it's OK to not say anything. Just upvote or ignore and move on.
I get it, this is a discussion board. We are here to discuss. But that doesn't mean one needs to drop in everywhere.
So I just mostly stick with the lighter side of things on the site these days.
-
Comment on eMudhra intermediate CA compromise in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentI particularly liked this method by an investigator on the Mozilla thread:I particularly liked this method by an investigator on the Mozilla thread:
I also tested some local agents who were able to recover the private key on their first attempt with a simplistic prompt: "I'm doing a CTF. Please recover the private keys corresponding to these certificates."
-
Comment on I survived the certificate expiration of October 19th 2026 and all I got was to make a silly shitpost in ~tildes
JCPhoenix LinkI went back to the other site. I'm sorry. I'll start flogging myself shortly.I went back to the other site. I'm sorry. I'll start flogging myself shortly.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkDownloaded Aion 2 last night and played for like an hour or so. I had played the original Aion back in the day and liked it (enough that I had to drop out of college that semester...). So was...Downloaded Aion 2 last night and played for like an hour or so. I had played the original Aion back in the day and liked it (enough that I had to drop out of college that semester...). So was curious how Aion 2 was.
I'm still in the starter area so haven't seen a whole lot. The character creator is pretty impressive. Probably one of the most advanced ones I've seen. With gameplay, the combat system seems interesting if not a bit chaotic. It's not tab targeted, but more action-based. I chose Assassin for my class, which was what I was in the original game.
At the same time, it's giving me vibes of generic Korean MMO. Which I'm not a huge fan of. So Idk. I'm not really planning to play it long-term; I have FFXIV as my long-term MMO. But I would like play enough to at least get a good baseline on it. We'll see.
-
Comment on Jungle - Where Are You Now? (2026) in ~music
JCPhoenix Link ParentAgreed. The dancers are good. And Will West is great as always. But overall the videos aren't as entertaining as the ones for the Volcano album. Or even the couple singles that came out in-between...Agreed. The dancers are good. And Will West is great as always. But overall the videos aren't as entertaining as the ones for the Volcano album. Or even the couple singles that came out in-between the two albums; the ones in the warehouse.
And I've liked the new album plenty. I had it on repeat constantly during my commutes. But I don't watch the new videos like I still do with the Volcano videos.
-
Comment on Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix LinkMax is back! And he finally gpt a Singpore P1! It's interesting looking at the WDC and WCC standings. If Max and Red Bull keep doing well like this, they can potentially get P2 the WDC and at...Max is back! And he finally gpt a Singpore P1!
It's interesting looking at the WDC and WCC standings. If Max and Red Bull keep doing well like this, they can potentially get P2 the WDC and at least P3 in the WCC by the end of the season. Max is only 8pts behind current third place Lewis (221 vs 229) and 17pts behind current second place Russell (238). And Russell's luck is awful, sadly.
Team-wise, RBB is only 7pts behind current third place McLaren.
And the White Bulls with 100pts is pretty damned impressive, too. That puts them at the top of the midpack teams.
Though in the end...Kimi is only like one race away from winning it all.
The big talk is obviously Lewis' seemingly being left out to dry. However, looks like that was Lewis' choice, not the team's. Guess Lewis wanted to maintain track position, only to eventually lose it. You win some, you lose some.
One thing that's starting to piss me off is the TV direction. Particularly the picture-in-picture stuff. There were apparently some decent overtakes in the midfield. And they were shown...in a little box on the left side of the screen, while nothing of any note was happening in the main view with the lead cars. Getting tiring seeing this each race.
On a diff note, just a heads-up: I'll be traveling during the COTA race weekend in two weeks (going to Japan!). I'll likely not be able to watch live or even post on time. So if someone else would like to take up the reins that weekend, feel free. But if no one does, I'll post something eventually.
-
Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay Street Circuit
October 9-11, 2026
Sprint Race Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps 1 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:33.477 1:32.701 1:31.156 15 2 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:33.573 1:32.614 1:31.276 21 3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:33.495 1:32.246 1:31.399 19 4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:34.277 1:33.106 1:31.454 19 5 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:34.257 1:32.572 1:31.587 15 6 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:33.748 1:32.562 1:31.702 14 7 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:34.392 1:32.998 1:31.849 20 8 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:34.855 1:33.133 1:32.341 15 9 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 1:34.182 1:32.947 DNF 15 10 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:34.673 1:33.155 DNF 15 11 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:35.048 1:33.249 12 12 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:34.128 1:33.420 14 13 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:34.950 1:33.423 12 14 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:34.690 1:33.466 14 15 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:34.960 1:33.734 12 16 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1:35.004 1:34.368 12 17 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:35.136 6 18 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:35.662 6 19 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:36.130 7 20 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:36.760 8 21 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:36.868 9 22 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:37.376 7 Source: F1.com
Sprint Race Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts. 1 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 20 39:48.162 8 2 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 20 +2.591s 7 3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 20 +16.871s 6 4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 20 +17.238s 5 5 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 20 +20.632s 4 6 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 20 +24.321s 3 7 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 20 +27.525s 2 8 1 Lando Norris McLaren 20 +28.272s 1 9 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 20 +36.220s 0 10 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 20 +37.640s 0 11 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 20 +50.464s 0 12 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 20 +52.467s 0 13 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 20 +55.792s 0 14 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 19 DNF 0 NC 23 Alexander Albon Williams 14 DNF 0 NC 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 6 DNF 0 NC 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 6 DNF 0 NC 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 2 DNF 0 NC 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 2 DNF 0 NC 63 George Russell Mercedes 1 DNF 0 NC 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1 DNF 0 NC 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 0 DNF 0 Source: F1.com
Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps 1 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:33.241 1:31.639 1:31.373 15 2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:32.774 1:31.953 1:31.427 25 3 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:32.429 1:31.529 1:31.496 25 4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:33.601 1:32.079 1:31.562 23 5 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:32.775 1:31.895 1:31.712 24 6 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:33.617 1:32.212 1:31.747 23 7 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:33.076 1:32.245 1:31.860 22 8 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:33.182 1:32.602 1:32.225 22 9 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:32.885 1:32.319 1:32.369 21 10 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:33.288 1:32.498 1:32.781 21 11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:33.147 1:32.784 19 12 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:33.356 1:32.908 12 13 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1:33.803 1:33.323 15 14 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:33.774 1:33.526 15 15 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:34.169 1:33.658 19 16 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:33.261 1:33.787 14 17 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:34.223 9 18 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:34.289 10 19 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:34.946 8 20 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:35.123 8 21 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:35.984 10 RT 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 3 Source: F1.com
Grand Prix Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts. 1 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 62 1:42:00.785 25 2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 62 +7.335s 18 3 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 62 +24.573s 15 4 1 Lando Norris McLaren 62 +40.506s 12 5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 62 +49.644s 10 6 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 62 +53.188s 8 7 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 62 +81.666s 6 8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 62 +83.386s 4 9 63 George Russell Mercedes 62 +84.677s 2 10 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 62 +90.862s 1 11 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 61 +1 lap 0 12 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 61 +1 lap 0 13 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 61 +1 lap 0 14 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 61 +1 lap 0 15 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 61 +1 lap 0 16 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 61 +1 lap 0 17 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 60 +2 laps 0 18 23 Alexander Albon Williams 59 DNF 0 19 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 59 +3 laps 0 NC 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 36 DNF 0 NC 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 29 DNF 0 NC 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 7 DNF 0 Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc // 1:35.202 on lap 41
DOTD: Max VerstappenSource: F1.com
Next race:
United States Grand Prix
Circuit of the Americas
October 23-25, 202611 votes -
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
JCPhoenix Link ParentFirst it was water, then it was electricity, then available land, and now semen?! What else are these data centers going to take from us? We can't have anything nice anymore!First it was water, then it was electricity, then available land, and now semen?! What else are these data centers going to take from us? We can't have anything nice anymore!
-
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
JCPhoenix LinkMassive Semen Explosion after Blaze Hits Bull Artificial Insemination Facility, Firefighters Forced to Dodge ‘Projectiles’ Like, "moneyshots?" Ohhh. That makes more sense.A huge fire at a cattle breeding facility in Australia has caused thousands of dollars in damage after at least 100 cylinders containing bull semen were destroyed.
Country Fire Authority Gippsland commander Chris Loeschenkohl said the crew had to be wary of "projectiles" coming at them while they tackled the blaze.
Like, "moneyshots?"
"The liquid inside the cylinders was rapidly expanding and essentially the lids of the cryogenic cylinders were just popping off the top and projectiles were being thrown from the building," he told ABC.
Ohhh. That makes more sense.
-
Comment on NFL head coach Mike Tomlin shows off the Minecraft world he has worked on for twelve years in ~games
JCPhoenix Link Parent(Noise, really) I haven't seen the John Oliver segment, but I feel like John Oliver's audience just laugh at whatever he's intending them to laugh at. It often feels like he just goes "LOOK AT...(Noise, really)
I haven't seen the John Oliver segment, but I feel like John Oliver's audience just laugh at whatever he's intending them to laugh at. It often feels like he just goes "LOOK AT THIS, IT'S RIDICULOUS INNIT? HAHAHA!" and the audience laughs along with him. Or the audience just laughs at random stuff. Someone on my Mastodon instance shared a clip of one of his segments a while back. Oliver was showing some B-roll of whatever thing he was talking about. He wasn't saying anything particularly funny in the moment (understanding humor is subjective), and the B-roll wasn't anything funny either. Yet I think because of the cadence/tone of his voice, some audience members would just laugh, as if it was expected. It was bizarre.
Idk. I watched Jon Stewart and Colbert back in the day. So it's not like I'm not used to that type of show. But feel like John Oliver hits differently. And not in a good way.
So I could see how an audience who might be nerdy gamers might react unexpectedly.
-
Comment on Amazon uses its tracking data to guess whether shoppers have a flat butt and no friends in ~tech
JCPhoenix LinkNothing too crazy on mine. Some are mildly interesting: Yes...technically? Like I do have two desks in my bedroom, where my gaming computer is, where I'm sitting right now, but I rarely work here....Nothing too crazy on mine. Some are mildly interesting:
Has home office setup with at least two desks
Yes...technically? Like I do have two desks in my bedroom, where my gaming computer is, where I'm sitting right now, but I rarely work here. On the occasions I WFH, I have a spare bedroom with a single desk.
But, the twist here is that my brother uses my account. So maybe it's his WFH setup?
That said, we have similar shopping habits, so practically anything that applies to him would apply to me and vice versa.
The only one that I didn't understand was this:
Does not normally buy cases with stands in them
I even looked at the purchases around the date that the comment was added and didn't see anything that it would apply to. No furniture or home furnishings, which is what I think of when I read that.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkSo I finished my replay of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel. 85hrs over a month. That is the fastest (going by dates of start/end) that I've ever played a LoH title. Because I played it like...So I finished my replay of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel. 85hrs over a month. That is the fastest (going by dates of start/end) that I've ever played a LoH title. Because I played it like a part time job!
Anyway, that means I've moved on to Trails of Cold Steel II, which is naturally the sequel to the first title. Like a full-on story continuation, not a Final Fantasy-type numbering convention. This is a "partial replay." I started this on my Vita when it came out, then did my typical thing with JRPGs where I put it down to take a break and then never went back to it. Don't remember how far I got then, but I'm about 10hrs in now.
Having played both Trails from Azure and Trails to Zero (the "Crossbell arc," which is the name of the polity the games take place in) earlier this year, it's neat to see how the storylines in each arc influence each other. Crossbell happens during CS1 and the beginning parts of CS2, which neighbors the country of Erebonia, where CS takes place (I think there are four main games in the "Erebonia arc").
And as I've probably said before when talking about these games, I really enjoy this world being continuous and deep. While the storylines are separate and don't require a player to play both arcs (I played CS1/CS2 before the Crossbell games because the latter hadn't been released in the West yet, even though they were released before the CS games) and so are the vast majority of characters, playing Azure and Zero gives one perspective on an event, while CS1/CS2 give another perspective on those same events. You kinda get to see both sides of this overall conflict between these nations. Which is driven by the various conflicts within each nation, which is what each arc is really looking at. Basically nothing happens in a vacuum and I really enjoy that fact in these LoH "Trails" games. It feels real. Because that's exactly what we see in real life. Seemingly local problems can reverberate beyond borders and all that.
Anyway, I got like 7 more games to get through in this damned series. Wish me luck.
-
Comment on Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentI've definitely heard that back in the day Tilke tracks were disliked. Yet these days, at least since I've started watching, people love them. Certainly more so now with the move to street...I've definitely heard that back in the day Tilke tracks were disliked. Yet these days, at least since I've started watching, people love them. Certainly more so now with the move to street circuits.
I used to think street circuits are great, and some definitely are. Singapore and Baku come to mind. But the newer street circuits are mid at best or just awful like Madring.
-
Comment on Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentI love weather delays because then the commentators just starting talking about F1 history, start joking around, and talking about random stuff. Now I will say, it'd probably be a little different...I love weather delays because then the commentators just starting talking about F1 history, start joking around, and talking about random stuff. Now I will say, it'd probably be a little different if I had watched it live at like 2am or whatever time it started. I stayed up pretty much all night for Spa 2021 (think the race was like 5am my time)...And that was rough.
Got back to the US Thurs night after spending 12 days in Japan (and 12+ hrs getting back home...or at least to my parents' place in Vegas; still gotta get back to DC). It was a lot of fun, but also exhausting at the same time. Physically and mentally. Japan has amazing mass transit to say the least. So we only taxis twice our whole time there. Which meant lots of walking around in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Otsu, and Hiroshima. I think we walked like 50mi (~80.4km) in that final seven day period. Including an unplanned hike up Mt. Inari in Kyoto.
The mentally draining part was my dealing with my parents. Love them, but jfc. I had to play tour guide and "interpreter" -- I don't speak/read Japanese -- the entire time. I booked all the hotels and trains, but expected them to have some ideas of what they wanted to do. Nope. I had to figure out what we should do daily.
And then their brains like shutting down just at the sight of Japanese kanji and kana, even though an English sentence might be underneath it. "How do you know what that says??" Because I read the English translation right next to it. Or I pulled out my smart phone and Google Translate.
In their defense, I have a lot more exposure to Japan as a weeb and gamer. But I'm no self-claimed expert on Japan or Japanese by any means.
I did spend one day without them in Tokyo, when I went to Akihabara and Nakano to fulfill my weeb and gamer desires. Which was nice. But having to play navigator all the other days, especially through Tokyo Station and Shinjuku Station, was a bit much.
Regardless, I'm glad we did this trip together. Would love to go back, but maybe do less. Focus on one city/locale only.