kej's recent activity

  1. Comment on Who’d be into a book club but for retro games? in ~games

    kej
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    Commenting just to get my name on the list of people who get notified.

    Commenting just to get my name on the list of people who get notified.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kej
    Link Parent
    What handheld did you get, if you don't mind?

    What handheld did you get, if you don't mind?

  3. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kej
    Link Parent
    That's exactly the kind of details I wanted, thank you!

    That's exactly the kind of details I wanted, thank you!

  4. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kej
    Link Parent
    Late reply, but any particular suggestions for setting up dosbox on the steam deck? How well do the controls work for old dos games?

    Late reply, but any particular suggestions for setting up dosbox on the steam deck? How well do the controls work for old dos games?

  5. Comment on Playtiles: The pocket-sized gaming platform in ~games

    kej
    Link
    I'm a little skeptical. The controller seems better than nothing, but I'm not sure it's enough better to be worthwhile, especially when it's only used for unspecified tiny games. For about the...

    I'm a little skeptical. The controller seems better than nothing, but I'm not sure it's enough better to be worthwhile, especially when it's only used for unspecified tiny games. For about the same price you could get a better controller that clips onto the phone, and then you could use it for all the things your phone can already play and emulate.

    5 votes

  6. Comment on The 2025 Steam Summer Sale is live (runs June 26 - July 10) in ~games

  7. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kej
    Link Parent
    I wish I could play Tametsi for the first time again; it's one of my favorites. I also think the drawing mode should be included in more puzzle games or built into the Steam overlay somehow.

    I wish I could play Tametsi for the first time again; it's one of my favorites. I also think the drawing mode should be included in more puzzle games or built into the Steam overlay somehow.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Favorite mobile games for short play sessions? in ~games

    kej
    Link
    I like the Zachtronics Solitaire Collection. If you're not familiar with Zachtronics, they primarily made programming/engineering puzzle games, then they started including solitaire mini-games...

    I like the Zachtronics Solitaire Collection. If you're not familiar with Zachtronics, they primarily made programming/engineering puzzle games, then they started including solitaire mini-games with each one, and this is all of those solitaire variants (plus one new one) in a nice little app.

    7 votes

  9. Comment on Contemplating getting a digital piano to relearn how to play in ~music

    kej
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    For what it's worth, there's a decent secondhand market for keyboards and electric pianos. I think they're like home gym equipment, where people buy them with big plans and then realize they don't...

    For what it's worth, there's a decent secondhand market for keyboards and electric pianos. I think they're like home gym equipment, where people buy them with big plans and then realize they don't use them enough to justify the space.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    kej
    Link Parent
    Part of my mission in life is to make sure people know Earthsea is more than a trilogy. You sound like you're already aware of this, but I'm spreading the Word anyway.

    Part of my mission in life is to make sure people know Earthsea is more than a trilogy. You sound like you're already aware of this, but I'm spreading the Word anyway.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Looking for books about history or biographies or memoirs that you enjoyed reading or were happy to have read in ~books

    kej
    Link
    I enjoyed Galileo's Daughter and Longitude, both by Dava Sobel. The first is a history of Galileo's trials through the lens of his correspondence with his daughter, a nun. The second is about the...

    I enjoyed Galileo's Daughter and Longitude, both by Dava Sobel. The first is a history of Galileo's trials through the lens of his correspondence with his daughter, a nun. The second is about the development of accurate timekeeping to accurately measure longitude.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Request for KVM! in ~tech

    kej
    Link Parent
    I was looking at your links and thinking that a handful of those would be a much more economical solution than a typical KVM switch, but with the downside of having to switch each device...

    I was looking at your links and thinking that a handful of those would be a much more economical solution than a typical KVM switch, but with the downside of having to switch each device independently. Then I got thinking that it wouldn't be that complicated (relatively speaking) to crack those open and wire all the switches up to a single button, so they would all switch at the same time. Then I realized I had reinvented a KVM switch and the idea was dumb.

    But then I realized that I had actually invented a modular KVM switch and it could actually be kind of neat. If you made individual switches like this in a standard form-factor with a standard switch connection, you could put together the exact combination of ports you need, and it could be future-proof because you can just add whatever new ports come along.

    Anyone want to pitch this on Shark Tank with me?

    1 vote

  13. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 18 in ~games

    kej
    Link Parent
    I'm guessing your second link is supposed to point here.

    I'm guessing your second link is supposed to point here.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on What historic unsolved mysteries do you want solved? in ~talk

    kej
    Link
    I'd be interested in stretching the boundaries of this question into prehistory. Modern humans have existed for about 200,000 years but we only know about a tiny slice of that time. What was life...

    I'd be interested in stretching the boundaries of this question into prehistory. Modern humans have existed for about 200,000 years but we only know about a tiny slice of that time. What was life like before language? Before permanent settlements?

    7 votes

  15. Comment on What historic unsolved mysteries do you want solved? in ~talk

    kej
    Link Parent
    To add to the other answer, even though we haven't dug much below the surface of any celestial body we have learned a decent amount about the interior of the moon and Mars by studying seismic...

    To add to the other answer, even though we haven't dug much below the surface of any celestial body we have learned a decent amount about the interior of the moon and Mars by studying seismic activity. This article covers one recent Mars mission to study the interior.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    kej
    Link Parent
    If Middle Earth is a fancy steak, Shannara (especially in the early books) is a drive through hamburger, but sometimes that's exactly what you want. Put it low on your list and reach for it when...

    If Middle Earth is a fancy steak, Shannara (especially in the early books) is a drive through hamburger, but sometimes that's exactly what you want. Put it low on your list and reach for it when you need an easy read after something that stretched your mind.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    kej
    Link
    Between Small Gods with the book club and The Wee Free Men with my daughters, I caught the Discworld bug and am working my way through those in chronological order. I'm currently on Sourcery and...

    Between Small Gods with the book club and The Wee Free Men with my daughters, I caught the Discworld bug and am working my way through those in chronological order. I'm currently on Sourcery and so far I've liked all of them. I know some people say not to start with the wizard books but I've found them to be pretty good, although he definitely is still developing his style.

    With my son (8) we've been reading the Unicorn Rescue Society series. The premise is that there is a secret organization that protects mythical animals, so they have to visit Europe to save a dragon and then the Texas/Mexico border to save the chupacabras and so on. They're fun books that include some educational background which is a nice touch. We also discovered that one of the co-authors wrote a Carmen Sandiego novel, so now my daughter is itching to get her hands on that.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    kej
    Link Parent
    I read at least the first three Shannara books years ago, and I remember enjoying them. I was already a Silmarillion-carrying Tolkien fan at that point, so I viewed Shannara as something "lighter"...

    I read at least the first three Shannara books years ago, and I remember enjoying them. I was already a Silmarillion-carrying Tolkien fan at that point, so I viewed Shannara as something "lighter" but not something to look down on.

  19. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kej
    Link Parent
    Pro-tip: Map one of the back buttons to Tab so you can easily switch back and forth from the TV screen to the WiiU controller screen.

    Pro-tip: Map one of the back buttons to Tab so you can easily switch back and forth from the TV screen to the WiiU controller screen.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on Fiction with great “plot devices” in ~misc

    kej
    Link
    One of my favorite short story collections is Machine of Death (and its sequel, This Is How You Die), based on this comic from Ryan North. The idea is that the machine can tell you how you will...

    One of my favorite short story collections is Machine of Death (and its sequel, This Is How You Die), based on this comic from Ryan North. The idea is that the machine can tell you how you will die, but it will be a short, vague, and often ironic answer. You can read it online but it's worth a paper copy in my opinion.

    10 votes