JCPhoenix's recent activity
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentI'm glad you mentioned the human assistant. I was writing up a reply to someone else and I thought that exact thing. Plenty of people over the ages have had human assistants. Do these PAs always...I'm glad you mentioned the human assistant. I was writing up a reply to someone else and I thought that exact thing. Plenty of people over the ages have had human assistants. Do these PAs always get it right? No, of course not. How about even spouses or your kids or a friend? How many of us have asked someone to pick something up for us at the store, gave them some parameters, sometimes explicit, yet they still didn't get exactly what was desired?
So to me, it comes off as a trust issue. Unless you do something yourself, there's always a chance someone or something will mess up. Is a human messing up inherently better than AI messing up? What's if it's your spouse or SO, someone who supposedly knows you deeply, that still buys the wrong thing? Is that less bad than an AI doing it? I would almost think it's worse. Feel like some people have gotten divorced or broken up over that...
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentYeah, probably depends on the thing, right? Like I have spent a stupid amount of time looking at LED light bulbs for the lamps around my place. I still ended up going with some non-name brand...Yeah, probably depends on the thing, right? Like I have spent a stupid amount of time looking at LED light bulbs for the lamps around my place. I still ended up going with some non-name brand option. Like I can and should pass that off to AI. I'm sure LED bulbs are not vastly different per brand. For all I know, they're all made at the same place and then are white-label branded.
I was looking at DDR4 RAM recently. I didn't spend a lot of time looking, but still some time. I looked on eBay and Amazon and Micro Center. For this, I was looking at mainly price, reviews, and whether it was new or used. Like RAM is so ubiquitous, I don't really care. Especially since this is for an older computer.
But like USB-C cables? Especially if I'm looking for something specific? Given how confusing USB-C protocols are, I might want to look at that myself. Or like I was recently looking at toaster ovens. Aside from features, I want one that looks "nice." I'm looking for a certain aesthetic that I didn't know I wanted until I started looking at various models, that I don't how to describe.
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Comment on Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentHow'd your predictions go? My only prediction was that Max was gonna win, which I told my boss as he was walking out the door on Friday. And lo and behold! Get to jokingly rub that in his face...How'd your predictions go? My only prediction was that Max was gonna win, which I told my boss as he was walking out the door on Friday. And lo and behold! Get to jokingly rub that in his face tomorrow! He's a McLaren fan ;D
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Comment on Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentThese F1 scriptwriters, man...Making it exciting all the way to the end of the season! /s But seriously, plankwear violations are slamdunk. Like someone on the team had to make that decision to...These F1 scriptwriters, man...Making it exciting all the way to the end of the season! /s
But seriously, plankwear violations are slamdunk. Like someone on the team had to make that decision to cut it close. And it seemed like it didn't really benefit the McLaren boys. Well, maybe Norris, since he retained his P2. Guess they were waiting for an SC?
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Comment on Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentHonda to Aston Martin (again, sorta). Maybe Horner to Aston Martin. Maybe Max to Aston Martin? Slowly getting the gang back together?Honda to Aston Martin (again, sorta). Maybe Horner to Aston Martin. Maybe Max to Aston Martin? Slowly getting the gang back together?
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Comment on Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix Link ParentYeah the race ended like 2.5hrs ago =/ This was a US Saturday night race, which might have affected some of the scheduling. If you're watching Sky, I'm assuming you're in the UK. So a Saturday...Yeah the race ended like 2.5hrs ago =/
This was a US Saturday night race, which might have affected some of the scheduling. If you're watching Sky, I'm assuming you're in the UK. So a Saturday night 8:00pm PST race is a Sunday 4:00a GMT race in the UK. Maybe that's why it wasn't shown live?
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Comment on Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix LinkThat was kinda hilarious, Lando trying Max's typical starting move by chopping across, but then it totally backfired when Lando missed his braking point and went wide, letting both Max and George...That was kinda hilarious, Lando trying Max's typical starting move by chopping across, but then it totally backfired when Lando missed his braking point and went wide, letting both Max and George get ahead. And once Max was ahead, he never gave up the position I don't think.
In the end, it was classic Max win, with max ahead by like 20sec. Both Lando and George are lucky their respective car issues really only came about in the last handful of laps, and that gaps behind were so large.
The WDC contest continues...I haven't looked at the math, but hoping it lasts til Abu Dhabi! Let's have a replay of 2021.
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
JCPhoenix Link ParentIf I'm understanding this whole agentic AI stuff, I think you have to imagine something like Star Trek: "Computer, order me 6 LED light bulbs and some AA batteries off Amazon," and then the...If I'm understanding this whole agentic AI stuff, I think you have to imagine something like Star Trek: "Computer, order me 6 LED light bulbs and some AA batteries off Amazon," and then the computer, or AI agent in this case, goes off and orders it on Amazon.
Or another might be that an AI agent reads your emails and notices your receipts from Amazon. The AI notices that you seem to order a pack of toilet paper every couple of months. So then it asks you "Hey, want me to order more toilet paper? We're coming up on two months since your last order." You say yes, and then it does.
I spend a lot of time, sometimes too much time, on Amazon and other sites looking at stuff, comparing things, trying to find the "best" form of whatever items I'm looking for, comparing price, etc. So I can imagine telling an AI, "Hey, I'm looking for this thing. Search Amazon, ebay, and Target, find me the 3 best things by price and reviews." The AI does, I choose one, and it places the order at whatever stores it's at.
It's not the people are too stupid. It's that shopping is sometimes a pain. Or it's just another thing to do in the neverending list of things that need to be done.
I'm not saying I want all this. That I want more AI in everything. But just giving examples of how it might be beneficial to some people.
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Comment on Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
JCPhoenix LinkRemember, this is a weird weekend! Everything is shifted by a day since Vegas is a night race on the west coast! Anyway, been awhile since we've seen a quali this rainy I think? This is also the...Remember, this is a weird weekend! Everything is shifted by a day since Vegas is a night race on the west coast!
Anyway, been awhile since we've seen a quali this rainy I think? This is also the rainiest rainy season I've seen in Vegas in awhile. I don't live there, but my parents and brother do and I feel like all I've heard from them the last few weeks is how much it's been raining in Vegas. Certainly the first rainy race weekend in Vegas in the 3yrs it's been on the calendar!
Bit of a scary Q1, given how wet and rainy it still was. Lots of short yellows as drivers went into runoffs. And then with ~6min left, both Red Bulls were in the drop zone, as were Oscar, Leclerc, and Sainz. Not the typical crew for the drop zone (sans *sigh* Yuki). But they all got out (sans Yuki, *sigh*) But then still a shocking ending with Albon hard into walls at P16 (he was OK), Antonelli at P17, and Lewis at P20! Yikes. I think Bearman also tapped the wall in a runoff zone with his nose, but apparently had no serious damage.
Really surprised there weren't more crashes in Q1. But Albon was the only one who had serious damage to his car. All drivers stayed on wets for Q2, but the dry line was starting to form. By Q3, everyone switched to intermediates and the track evolution with the dry line was pretty strong, as to be expected.
We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Lando P1 and max P2 could be real spicy! And Sainz in P3 -- hell yeah! Go Weeums!
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Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Las Vegas Grand Prix
Las Vegas Strip Circuit
November 20-22, 2025
Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps 1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:55.473 1:51.379 1:47.934 25 2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:53.458 1:51.593 1:48.257 24 3 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:54.873 1:51.144 1:48.296 24 4 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:53.144 1:50.935 1:48.803 25 5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:54.544 1:52.126 1:48.961 23 6 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:54.828 1:51.621 1:49.062 25 7 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:53.739 1:51.865 1:49.466 25 8 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:55.613 1:51.120 1:49.554 25 9 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:54.814 1:51.952 1:49.872 24 10 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:54.432 1:51.760 1:51.540 25 11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber 1:54.555 1:52.781 18 12 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:54.416 1:52.850 18 13 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1:54.635 1:52.987 17 14 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:56.016 1:53.094 17 15 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:54.847 1:53.683 17 16 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:56.220 8 17 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:56.314 8 18 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber 1:56.674 9 19 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 1:56.798 9 20 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:57.115 9 Source: F1.com
Grand Prix Results -- SPOILER
Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts. 1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 50 1:21:08.429 25 2 4 Lando Norris McLaren 50 +20.741s 18 3 63 George Russell Mercedes 50 +23.546s 15 4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 50 +27.650s 12 5 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 50 +30.488s 10 6 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 +30.678s 8 7 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 50 +34.924s 6 8 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 50 +45.257s 4 9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber 50 +51.134s 2 10 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 50 +59.369s 1 11 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 50 +60.635s 0 12 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 50 +70.549s 0 13 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 50 +85.308s 0 14 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 50 +86.974s 0 15 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 50 +91.702s 0 16 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 49 +1 lap 0 17 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 49 +1 lap 0 NC 23 Alexander Albon Williams 35 DNF 0 NC 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber 2 DNF 0 NC 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 0 DNF 0 Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen // 1:33.365 on lap 50
DOTD: Max VerstappenSource: F1.com
Next race:
Qatar Grand Prix
Lusail International Circuit
November 28-30, 202512 votes -
Comment on After break with US President Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene will resign in ~society
JCPhoenix Link ParentMy understanding is that she's from a pretty conservative, safe deep red district in Georgia. Could she actually win a state-wide contest? I know it appears she's "moderating" (aka less crazy),...My understanding is that she's from a pretty conservative, safe deep red district in Georgia. Could she actually win a state-wide contest? I know it appears she's "moderating" (aka less crazy), but would that really be enough?
I know very little about Georgia politics. The only thing I've ever heard is that state leaders are leery of Georgia being viewed as another "typical" backwards Southern state. And if that's the case, and that's a reflection of the voter's will, I don't see how she'd be able to win a statewide contest. She built her whole career on being batshit crazy. With Jewish space lasers and qanon and all that. Will voters forget that quickly? (yes, I know voters do forget that quickly...*looks at White House*)
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
JCPhoenix LinkUnexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect Hmm.Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect
We conducted a quasi-experimental field study on the Milan metro, observing 138 rides. In the control condition, a female experimenter, appearing pregnant, boarded the train with an observer. In the experimental condition, an additional experimenter dressed as Batman entered from another door. Passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat when Batman was present (67.21% vs. 37.66%, OR = 3.393, p < 0.001).
Hmm.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
JCPhoenix LinkFinished Chainsaw Man over the weekend. A friend recommended it to me. While I wasn't looking for a shonen...my friend's recommendations thus far have been pretty damn good. So I watched it. And...Finished Chainsaw Man over the weekend. A friend recommended it to me. While I wasn't looking for a shonen...my friend's recommendations thus far have been pretty damn good. So I watched it. And it was GOOD. Giving the recent Chainsaw Man movie a go (sailed the high seas for this one...).
Maybe I'll put down some comments here on both in the future.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentIf you're into barista games -- we'll pretend that's a genre now, ha -- might be worth checking out Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk 2. They're definitely more about the story than making the drinks,...If you're into barista games -- we'll pretend that's a genre now, ha -- might be worth checking out Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk 2. They're definitely more about the story than making the drinks, but making the right drinks has an effect on the story.
I say "story," but It's not your or the MC's story; it's your regular customer's stories. Very slice of life. And the gameplay is more in the direction of light-interactive visual novel. But it's chill and cozy. Personally, it gives me nostalgia for experiences I never had, if that makes any sense.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentI LOVE Point & Click Adventure games. In the 90s, when I was a kid, I'd watch my older cousins play them (including Leisure Suit Larry...yikes). And I'd sometimes help (including Leisure Suit...I LOVE Point & Click Adventure games. In the 90s, when I was a kid, I'd watch my older cousins play them (including Leisure Suit Larry...yikes). And I'd sometimes help (including Leisure Suit Larry, gasp). And then I eventually played them myself, sometimes with my younger brother. Between him and I, I think we've played all the Monkey Island games, for example. I Played Sam & Max Hit the Road, plus some of the sequels. Day of the Tentatcle (think even Maniac Mansion eventually). Space Quest 6. Plus several others over the years. I even played a modern one this month for Backlog Bingo: Nine Noir Lives. It was great!
So I was super excited years ago, when Grim Fandango came out on Steam. I heard a lot of good things about it, that it was a classic, that if you love Point & Clicks, you gotta play it.
So I did.
And I had the same experience as you. Puzzles that made no sense. That had me like, "what in the fuck? How I would I have figured that out without a guide??" I had to use a guide for most of it. There was no way, without some serious brute force, that I was going to finish that game on my own. Which, as you say, isn't fun. Don't get me wrong; I'll use a guide when I'm stuck. But rarely do I have to use a guide for basically a whole P&C game...At least not since I was a kid.
I do remember that, yes, some of those games back then did require brute forcing. But I don't remember them at the level of Grim Fandango. I felt like it was turned up past 11. Which really ruined the experience for me. Even with the guide, I was still like "huh?" And maybe it's because of that experience, I don't remember the story being worth it. Idk, Grim Fandango seemed like a letdown.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentHa, yeah the Sawyer thing was definitely like gears slowly turning in my head and being like "wait...wait a minute...hold up..." One of my cousin's kids is named Sawyer. Wonder if he'll go into...Ha, yeah the Sawyer thing was definitely like gears slowly turning in my head and being like "wait...wait a minute...hold up..." One of my cousin's kids is named Sawyer. Wonder if he'll go into construction or woodworking. Would that still be considered nominative determinism if the name originated from a job in the first place?
I'd forgotten how good Bastion's soundtrack was -- and just how good of a game it was! Which also reminded me of one of my favorite lyrical games songs from Transistor. Which makes me think I should check out Hades at some point (I know I'm super late to the party...hence Backlog Bingo!)
Thanks for watching the LPs! It's great to read everyone's comments about the games their playing, but sometimes I think it's nice to see what a game is about, plus get those comments that come in the moment.
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Comment on PSP: The rise and fall of Sony's first portable in ~games
JCPhoenix Link ParentFor sure. My hope is that if/when Steam decides to unveil the Steam Deck 2, they'll significantly reduce the form factor. Will it be as small as a PSP? Probably not. Obviously the power of a true...For sure. My hope is that if/when Steam decides to unveil the Steam Deck 2, they'll significantly reduce the form factor. Will it be as small as a PSP? Probably not. Obviously the power of a true PC means tradeoffs in size.
I actually don't travel with my Steam Deck that often anymore. It's just so bulky and heavy. I always take my laptop (an MBP) with me when I travel. So if I want to game while I'm on vacation, I just use Remote Play, Parallels Desktop & Win11, or hope that the games I'm playing have a WINE-like wrapper so I can play it on MacOS "natively."Luckily a lot more games do have that wrapper these days. I even bought a small, lightweight 8bitdo controller that I can use with my MBP.
Yeah, a Steam Deck is a full-fledged computer, but without KB&M it isn't. And I'd rather have a single device with me that I can do standard computery stuff on easily, as opposed to the ability to game from my hotel bed.
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Comment on Development of the Paradox Interactive-owned IP Cities: Skylines will shift from Colossal Order to Iceflake Studios in ~games
JCPhoenix LinkI picked up C:S2 during a free weekend about a year ago and ended up buying it afterwards since it was also on a slight sale. Played it for about a week. It was fun enough. But haven't been back...I picked up C:S2 during a free weekend about a year ago and ended up buying it afterwards since it was also on a slight sale. Played it for about a week. It was fun enough. But haven't been back to it since. I played a decent amount of the original C:S. 468hrs for C:S vs 15hrs for C:S2. Really didn't run into any major issues when I played it.
I've read a fair amount about the issues CO and Paradox encountered. And of course all the finger pointing by people in the community. Idk who's at fault for all this. Don't really care. It's a shitty situation, period. Yeah the game is stable, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily at a level where it's a vast improvement over the original game. Hopefully Iceflake will have the technical know-how to really get this game off the ground.
Crazy to think that C:S was the answer to Maxis/EA's failed 2013 Sim City release. Then almost a decade later, CS:2 would essentially go through the same thing.
100%. I sometimes think that as techy or data-driven people -- I'm assuming you're one; at this point, I'm assuming most people on this site are! -- we have a tendency to overthink things. That we need to pour through all the available data to come to the best conclusion, or in this case, the best item. Or else woe be upon us.
Or maybe that's just me.
But before Amazon, if I needed bulbs, did I physically go to Target and Wal-Mart and Home Depot and spend 3hrs comparing bulbs? No. I spent maybe 10min at most at a single store, before selecting one -- or the only option -- that was the right color and socket I needed, (gently) tossed them in my cart, and continued my shopping. And my experience with these bulbs were fine. So now that I have all these options and data via the Internet, and I can and do spend 3hrs looking at bulbs, has my life vastly improved because of this? No. As long as they turn on and off when I want them to, and they're the right color for the room (which for replacements, I'd already know), that's all I care about.
So why do I do this? Am I broken? Am I looking for some deeper validation of my self and my choices through my shopping experience? For someone to tell me I can pick good? That I'm a good capitalist boy? Oh god...Someone help me!
...Sorry. That got dark.
Good thing I got light bulbs! ;)
Anyway, I shudder to think about how much time I've wasted trying to hunt down the perfect product online, when it reality, it didn't matter at all what I got, as long as it worked (and it did). Because, as you say, fine is good enough for plenty of products.
Maybe I'm wrongfully connecting two things here. My "need" to analyze all the options and data to find the perfect, and then saying AI is the solution. I can stop that without AI, right? I can just stop being obsessive about having perfect information. And I do try. But that's effort in itself. So if the AI can help me here...why not?