kej's recent activity
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of September 20 in ~games
kej Link ParentMechabellum link should be this one, for other people who are as lazy as I am: https://store.epicgames.com/p/mechabellum-88a843Mechabellum link should be this one, for other people who are as lazy as I am: https://store.epicgames.com/p/mechabellum-88a843
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Comment on That book you remember some details but can't recall the title in ~books
kej LinkThere is a short story I've been trying to find for years. I would have read it in the late '80s or early '90s, so it could have been from then or it might be an older "golden age of sci-fi"...There is a short story I've been trying to find for years. I would have read it in the late '80s or early '90s, so it could have been from then or it might be an older "golden age of sci-fi" story.
It's about a big project to make a rocket, and there are all kinds of people working on various parts of the project. Some kind of big manager visits one of the sites, and asks the local supervisor about one worker who doesn't seem to be doing anything. The local supervisor explains that he knows that guy never does anything, but that he keeps him around because he makes everyone else work better. If someone is stuck on some part of the design, having the slacker around will help them figure it out, and if people are getting burned out having the slacker around makes them more motivated.
Eventually it's time to launch the rocket, and the slacker guy is missing. They discover that the subtle ideas he had given to people by being nearby included a body sized cavity, and the conclusion is that he was some kind of alien who was helping the project get built so that he could return to space. The title or the last line had some reference to animals returning to their spawning grounds.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
kej LinkRecently finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, and it was so good that I picked up her next book, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. I don't relate to the lesbian vampires...Recently finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, and it was so good that I picked up her next book, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. I don't relate to the lesbian vampires quite as much as I did with Addie and Henry from the other book, but the storytelling is still great and I'm invested in seeing where things end up.
I've done part of both books as audio books during my commute, and Julie Whelan did a great job narrating, with just the right amount of characterization and accent.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
kej Link ParentI'm on a mission to tell people who read Earthsea when it was just a trilogy that she revisited it years later, and the total is five novels plus a collection of short stories. Maybe you already...A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore.
I'm on a mission to tell people who read Earthsea when it was just a trilogy that she revisited it years later, and the total is five novels plus a collection of short stories. Maybe you already know this, but my quest compels me to spread the Word just in case.
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Comment on What do you call a bun, bacon, some amount of cheese, and two burger patties? (Not a setup to a joke) in ~food
kej LinkI feel like both options sound fine to me, but here is some extra data if you are interested. Google Books Ngrams shows comparisons in published works:...I feel like both options sound fine to me, but here is some extra data if you are interested.
Google Books Ngrams shows comparisons in published works: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=bacon+double+cheeseburger%2Cdouble+bacon+cheeseburger&year_start=1950&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3&case_insensitive=true
Google Trends shows comparisons in web searches: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=bacon%20double%20cheeseburger,double%20bacon%20cheeseburger&hl=en-US
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Comment on Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003) in ~movies
kej LinkIn lieu of a sequel, I highly recommend the audio books narrated by Patrick Tull. (Some people will say to get the ones narrated by Simon Vance, but those people are mistaken.)In lieu of a sequel, I highly recommend the audio books narrated by Patrick Tull. (Some people will say to get the ones narrated by Simon Vance, but those people are mistaken.)
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Comment on What game are you terrible at? in ~games
kej Link ParentIn case you haven't heard of it, you might appreciate Chess960 (also known as Fisher Random Chess). It shuffles the back row, so you can't just memorize positions anymore and have to actually...In case you haven't heard of it, you might appreciate Chess960 (also known as Fisher Random Chess). It shuffles the back row, so you can't just memorize positions anymore and have to actually think about the situation on the board.
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Comment on What is your Mandela effect moment? in ~movies
kej Link ParentMy theory is that if you were a kid in the U.S. in the late '80s or '90s and learned about apartheid in school, you learned about Nelson Mandela being imprisoned but you probably also learned...Also, this is tangential but I assert that most people who remember Nelson Mandela having died in prison would never have heard of him if he'd died in prison.
My theory is that if you were a kid in the U.S. in the late '80s or '90s and learned about apartheid in school, you learned about Nelson Mandela being imprisoned but you probably also learned about Steve Biko, who famously did die in prison. You may have watched Cry Freedom, about
Steve Bikoa white guy who knew Steve Biko. For any kid who wasn't a Peter Gabriel fan, it would be easy to mix up the names and years later be surprised that the guy you thought had died is not just alive but president. -
Comment on GOG confirm they are working towards GOG Galaxy on Linux in ~games
kej LinkIn the meantime, what are people using to install non-Steam games on Linux? Hero? Lutris? Something else?In the meantime, what are people using to install non-Steam games on Linux? Hero? Lutris? Something else?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kej (edited )Link ParentThat's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for, thank you! Edit: it looks like they recently went back and updated Myst: Masterpiece Edition to be Steam Deck certified, so that makes this an...That's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for, thank you!
Edit: it looks like they recently went back and updated Myst: Masterpiece Edition to be Steam Deck certified, so that makes this an even easier answer to follow.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kej Link ParentWhat would you (or anyone else reading this) consider the best way to experience Myst for someone who didn't have a sufficient computer when it first came out? I grew up on MS-DOS so I'm not...What would you (or anyone else reading this) consider the best way to experience Myst for someone who didn't have a sufficient computer when it first came out? I grew up on MS-DOS so I'm not allergic to outdated graphics, but I am a fan of quality-of-life improvements if a remake comes with those.
My Steam family library contains Myst: Masterpiece Edition, realMyst, and realMyst: Masterpiece Edition, but I'm happy to emulate an old Mac if there is some reason to prefer that.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
kej Link ParentThere was a two year old discussion about Piranesi here, for what it's worth: https://tildes.net/~books/1fm7/tildes_book_club_discussion_april_2024_piranesi_by_susanna_clarkeThere was a two year old discussion about Piranesi here, for what it's worth: https://tildes.net/~books/1fm7/tildes_book_club_discussion_april_2024_piranesi_by_susanna_clarke
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Comment on Tildos, let's be unserious for a while; show us your dankest memes and god-tier shitposts! in ~talk
kej Link ParentI'm your huckleberry: https://discworld.com/products/the-city-watch/city-watch-crest-t-shirt/I'm your huckleberry: https://discworld.com/products/the-city-watch/city-watch-crest-t-shirt/
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Comment on Tildos, let's be unserious for a while; show us your dankest memes and god-tier shitposts! in ~talk
kej Link ParentI have some fantastic (and, as near as I can tell, officially licensed) news for you: https://discworld.com/products/t-shirts/unseen-university-crest-t-shirt/I have some fantastic (and, as near as I can tell, officially licensed) news for you: https://discworld.com/products/t-shirts/unseen-university-crest-t-shirt/
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Comment on ReciproCard — find free library cards, reciprocal and non-resident cards for Libby in ~books
kej LinkThis is neat, thanks for making and submitting it. Since most libraries in my state will give any state resident a card, my family has turned library card collecting into something we do on road...This is neat, thanks for making and submitting it. Since most libraries in my state will give any state resident a card, my family has turned library card collecting into something we do on road trips. I'm not sure how much the smaller ones help with Libby selections, but it's free and more useful than some other souvenirs we've picked up over the years.
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Comment on 8BitDo FlipPad in ~games
kej LinkI have the Pocket Taco (unlike others, I love the name), and it's mostly okay and I prefer it to carrying another device, but I wish I had considered more that the promos for these devices never...I have the Pocket Taco (unlike others, I love the name), and it's mostly okay and I prefer it to carrying another device, but I wish I had considered more that the promos for these devices never show the phone in a case. Suddenly the easy snap on is slightly crooked, and you're pushing the limits of the hinge.
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Comment on A philosopher’s one-word theory to explain why the world feels so weird: uni-context in ~humanities
kej Link ParentThat's close but doesn't quite capture the flexibility of Circles because everyone has to agree on the nature of the private group, whereas Circles would let each person decide their audience for...That's close but doesn't quite capture the flexibility of Circles because everyone has to agree on the nature of the private group, whereas Circles would let each person decide their audience for themselves. I could have a "coworkers" group and a smaller "coworkers I joke around with" group without everyone else having to have those same classifications.
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Comment on A philosopher’s one-word theory to explain why the world feels so weird: uni-context in ~humanities
kej LinkI feel like Google+'s "Circles" feature was an interesting approach to this situation, and I wish more social media would have picked up that idea.I feel like Google+'s "Circles" feature was an interesting approach to this situation, and I wish more social media would have picked up that idea.
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Comment on I sail the world in a replica 10th-century Viking longboat – it has brought new friendships and showed me how generous people can be in ~humanities.history
kej LinkI love this kind of niche hobby, but I feel like if people are greeting you generously you may not be having the authentic viking experience.I love this kind of niche hobby, but I feel like if people are greeting you generously you may not be having the authentic viking experience.
Currently reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt and The Secret History by Procopius, and both are good but I especially like when it works to read two books with a distant connection. A few years ago I was reading The Martian and Out of the Silent Planet at the same time, and the combination ends up being more enjoyable than the sum of its parts.